Michigan Church Records

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Historical Background
Before 1900, the largest religious groups in Michigan were the Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic churches. The Roman Catholic Church was the only organized religion in Michigan until the 19th century, reflecting the territory's French colonial roots. The Lutheran Church was introduced by German and Scandinavian immigrants; Lutheranism is the second largest religious denomination in the state. In West Michigan, Dutch immigrants fled from the specter of religious persecution and famine in the Netherlands around 1850 and settled in and around what is now Holland, Michigan, establishing a "colony" on American soil that fervently held onto Calvinist doctrine that established a significant presence of Reformed churches.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Indexes

 * 1819-1991 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1775-1995 - Index only.
 * 1822-1995 - Index only.
 * 1865-1931 - Michigan church marriages, 1865-1931, images.
 * 1800-1995 - Index only.

Ancestry.com Indexes

 * 1695-1954 - U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954, ($), index
 * 1867-1911 - Michigan, Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 ($)
 * 1817-1850 - Michigan Marriages 1817 to 1850 Index only ($)
 * 1867-1995 - Michigan, Deaths and Burials Index, 1867-1995 ($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 - U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1800-1947 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 - U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 - U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * 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 United States, Michigan.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Michigan and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Michigan [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. 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.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Michigan Conference, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Church of the Nazarene, Michigan District Assembly, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Churches of God, Michigan Assemblies, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Evangelical and Reformed Church, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Evangelical Church, Michigan Conference, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Pilgrim Holiness Church, Michigan District, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Presbyterian Church in U.S.A., Presbytery of Detroit, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Presbyterian Church in U.S.A., Presbytery of Flint, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Protestant Episcopal bodies, diocese of Michigan, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Protestant Episcopal Church, diocese of Michigan, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Protestant Episcopal Church, diocese of northern Michigan, e-book
 * Inventory of the church archives of Michigan, Salvation Army in Michigan, e-book

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Western Michigan Genealogical Society

 * [http://data.wmgs.org/ChurchRecords/
 * Search the West Michigan Church Records Database Incomplete. Index to Church Records at the Grand Rapids Public Library. This index is for indexes and records of churches in the Western Michigan area, particularly the counties of Kent and Ottawa. Other counties include Muskegon, Allegan, Ionia, Newaygo, Oceana and etc.

Baptist
Kalamazoo College Upjohn Library 1200 Academy Street Kalamazoo, MI 49006 Phone: (616) 337-7153 Fax: (616) 337-7143

Christian Reformed Church in North America
Calvin College Heritage Hall 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546-4402 Phone: 616.526.6313 fax: 616.526.7689 crcarchives@calvin.edu

Lutheran
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA Archives) 8765 West Higgins Road Chicago, IL 60631-4198 Phone: (312) 380-2818 Fax: (312) -380-2977 E-mail Address: [mailto:archives@elca.org archives@elca.org] (Note: Please include a mailing address when using the E-mail address.)

The records of Evangelical Lutheran churches in the United States that have been disbanded are located at the ELCA Archives in Chicago. If a church is still active, they will be able to help you locate their records.

The ELCA Archives has records of many congregations and those on microfilm can be borrowed for a small fee. A list of church records in its collection is given in:

ALC Archives. ALC Congregations on Microfilm. Dubuque, Iowa: The Archives, [197-?]. .Arranged by state and city of congregation. Fiche 6330690 includes Michigan. The ALC Archives are now part of the ELCA Archives.

Methodist
Shipman Library Adrian College 110 South Madison Street Adrian, MI 49221 Phone: (517) 265-5161 Fax: (517) 264-3331

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Detroit 1234 Washington Boulevard Detroit, MI 48226 Phone: (313) 237-5800 Fax: (313) 237-4642

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne.

Diocese of Gaylord 611 W. North Street Gaylord, MI 49735 Phone: (989) 732-5147

The diocese includes the counties of: Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Wexford.

Diocese of Grand Rapids 660 Burton Street S.E. Grand Rapids. MI 4950 Phone: (616) 243-0491 Fax: (616) 243-4910

The diocese includes the counties of: Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa.

Diocese of Kalamazoo 215 N. Westnedge Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Phone: (269) 349-8714

The diocese includes the counties of: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren.

Diocese of Lansing 300 West Ottawa Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: (517) 342-2440 Fax: (517) 343-2515

The diocese includes the counties of: Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw.

Diocese of Marquette 444 South Fourth Street P.O. Box 550 Marquette, MI 49855 Phone: (906) 225-1141 Fax: (906) 225-0437

The diocese includes the counties of: Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft.

Diocese of Saginaw 5800 Weiss Street Saginaw, MI 48603-2799 Phone: (517) 799-7910 Fax: (517) 797-6670

The diocese includes the counties of: Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac and Tuscola.

The Drouin Collection Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954 ($) (Ancestry). This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the United States in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is the U.S. part of the U.S. and French-Canadian Drouin Collection. For more details see "The Drouin Collection: Six Databases"

The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Michigan Societies

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.