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Alabama Churches General Information
Church records and the information they provide vary greatly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age; dates of baptism, christening or birth; marriage information, such as the bride’s maiden name and the names of both sets of parents; death or burial date; admissions; and removals. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominately of one nationality or ethnic group. Church records are important for Alabama family research because civil authorities in Alabama did not begin registering vital statistics until after 1908.

Roman Catholic church records for Mobile date from about 1700. In the 1800s, the largest religious groups in Alabama were the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.

To find information about churches up to 1870, such as when the churches were founded, names of ministers and early members, and associated cemeteries, see:


 * Daughters of the American Revolution (Alabama). Some Early Alabama Churches (Established Before 1870). Birmingham, Alabama: Parchment Press, 1973.

The has a few church records for Alabama, but most remain with the local churches. Also search for local (city and county) church records in the FamilySearch Catalog. Some denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where records of a particular denomination are located.

Baptist
Special Collection, Samford University Library Samford University Harwell Goodwin Davis Library 800 Lakeshore Dr. Birmingham, AL 35229-0001 Phone: (205)726-2748

See Alabama Archives and Libraries. The Samford University Library Website has an inventory of their records and contains many different Alabama denominations in their collection besides Baptist. Also included are microfilmed records of the American Missionary Association, a interdenominational missionary society devoted to abolitionist principles beginning in 1846.

For histories of the Baptist Church, see:


 * Holcombe, Hosea. A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Alabama. 1840. Reprint, Bessemer, Alabama: West Jefferson County Historical Society, 1974. This history of the Baptist Church to 1840 is indexed.
 * Flynt, F. Wayne. Alabama Baptists: Southern Baptists in the Heart of Dixie. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1998.
 * Bledsoe, W.C. History of the Liberty (East) Baptist Association of Alabama. Atlanta, Ga.: Constitution Job Office, 1886. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Riley, B.F. A Memorial History of the Baptists of Alabama: Being an Account of the Struggles and Achievements of the Denomination from 1808 to 1923. Philadelphia: The Judson Press, 1923. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

An 1899 directory of Baptist ministers lists biographical details about many ministers born or serving in the state:


 * The Ministerial Directory of the Baptist Churches in the United States of America. Oxford, Ohio: Ministerial Directory Co., 1899. Digital version at Google Books.

Episcopal
Episcopal Statistics in Alabama 1830 to 1898 

A list of the Episcopal congregations in Alabama before 1939 is:


 * Inventory of the Church Archives of Alabama: Protestant Episcopal Church. Birmingham, Alabama: Alabama Historical Records Survey Project, 1939. ; digital version at FamilySearch Books. This gives the location of each church with a brief history and describes the types and years of records that existed for each congregation in 1939.

For a history, consult:


 * Whitaker, Walter C. History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Alabama 1763-1891. Birmingham, Ala.: Roberts &amp; Son, 1898. Digital version at FamilySearch Books - free.

Methodist
Houghton Memorial Library Huntingdon College 1500 E. Fairview Avenue Montgomery, AL 36106-2148 Phone: (334) 833-4421 Fax: (334) 263-4465 E-mail: [mailto:edidwell@huntingdon.edu edidwell@huntingdon.edu ]

Charles Andrew Rush Library Birmingham-Southern College 900 Arkadelphia Road P.O. Box 549020 Birmingham, AL 35254-9990 Phone: (205) 226-4740 Fax: (205) 226-4743

Histories of the Methodist Church in Alabama include:


 * Lazenby, Marion Elias, History of Methodism in Alabama and West Florida. N.p., 1960. . This book includes a list of deceased ministers and a name and subject index.


 * West, Anson. A History of Methodism in Alabama. Nashville, Tenn.: Pub. House, Methodist Episcopal Church South, 1893. Digital version at FamilySearch Books - free.

Presbyterian


Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: (215) 627-1852 Fax: (215) 627-0509

Early Presbyteries (with years organized): Alabama Presbytery (1821), Elyton Presbytery (1831), Birmingham Presbytery (1896), Talladega Presbytery (1836), Springville Presbytery (1880), Robert Donnell Presbytery (1890), The New Hope Presbytery(1838), and The McGready Presbytery (1840/1).

Histories of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church include:


 * Hall, James H.B. "The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Alabama Prior to 1826," Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, Vol. 4 (1904):365-394. Digital version at Internet Archive - free. Identifies minute books available for early Presbyteries. The early Presbyteries did not keep records of baptisms, marriages, and burials.