Researching American Religious Records

Perhaps one of the most overlooked or undervalued areas of American ancestral research are church records. While many genealogist are familiar with church records and have used them extensively, especially in European research, many overlook the value of these records in the United States.

In Researching American Religious Records, authors Kyle Betit & Beverly Whitaker, remind us that it wasn’t until 1910 that U.S. states uniformly required the keeping of civil records for birth, marriages, and death. While states may have kept these records before 1910, the lack of uniformity means there are significant holes in these records. Through understanding and utilizing church records researchers may find the necessary records to fill in these gaps.

Many churches, from the earliest colonies, kept a variety of records; including, baptismal, christening, confirmation, marriage, burial, membership, admission and removal. Researching American Religious Records is broken down by major religions in the U.S. prior to 1800. Each is reviewed providing an historical perspective and the sources and status of these records up to modern times. The author’s state documents created by newer religions have a grounding in the older religions covered in this book. Taking what is taught here should help in researching any church records in the U.S.

Table of Contents

Introduction & Historical Background

• Traditions from England
• Different Colonies, Different Denominations
• Map of Thirteen Colonies
• Map of Colonial North America
• Map Showing Additions of Territory to the Original Thirteen Colonies

The Records

• Questions You Will Need to Answer
• The Family History Library
• WPA Church Inventories
• Printed Records
• Records on the Internet
• Episcopal Church Baptismal Register
• Lutheran Church Marriage Register

The Roman Catholic Church

• Florida
• Louisiana
• Louisiana Catholic Register
• Baptisms of New Jersey Catholics 1759–1761
• New Mexico
• California
• Texas
• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• Kentucky
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Michigan
• Timeline
• Records
• Parish Registers
• Baptism
• Marriage
• Confirmation
• Death
• Marriage Dispensations
• Parish & Diocesan Histories
• Priests & Religious Sisters & Brothers
• Repositories

Southern Anglicans

• The Congregational Church
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Massachusetts Town Record Book
• More form the Massachusetts Town Record Book
• Book of the First Church of Christ in Middleborough, Plymouth County, Mass. Boston 1852
• Book of the First Church of Christ in Middleborough
• Congregational Year-Book, Statistics for 1924
• The Unitarians & Universalists
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• The Episcopal Church
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Virginia Anglican Vestry Minute Book
• Virginia Anglican Vestry Minute Book

Lutheran & Reformed Churches & English Quakers

• The Lutheran Church
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Lutheran Church Records
• The Reformed Churches
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• New York Dutch Reformed Records
• The English Quakers
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Internet Sources
• Quaker Monthly Meeting Record
• Certificate of Removal for John Sumer, 1864

Scots & Scots-Irish Presbyterians; English Methodists & Baptists

• The Presbyterian Church
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Presbyterian Church Membership Record
• The Methodist Churches
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Methodist Church Marriages
• The Baptist Churches
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Baptismal Records
• Marriage Records
• Membership Records
• Church Minutes
• Baptism Church Minutes

Minority Sects in Colonial America

• Moravians, Mennonites, Amish, Huguenots, Brethren
• The Moravians
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Moravian Memoir
• The Mennonites & Amish
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• The Huguenots
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories
• Brethren Churches
• Timeline
• Records & Repositories

References & Research Material

• Introduction
• Records
• Roman Catholic Church
• The Congregational Church
• The Unitarians & Universalists
• The Episcopal Church
• The Lutheran Church
• The Reformed Churches
• English Quakers
• The Presbyterian Church
• The Methodist Church
• The Baptist Churches
• The Moravians
• The Mennonites & Amish
• The Huguenots
• Dunkards & (Church of the Brethren)

Interested in researching American church records. Get a copy of Researching American Religious Records from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: HA01.