Another under utilized genealogy resource is Church Records. We tend to focus our research on civil records, but need to be aware that often church records pre-dated civil records and are a great resource as well. In the BMD Records section of this website there are about 15,000 collections of civil records that are available online. Yes, that's a lot, but we need to also search church records as well.
What can we find in church or synagogue records? Here's just a shortlist of what nuggets we can find:
- Baptisms and Christenings
- Marriages
- Deaths
- Burials
- Confirmations
- Membership lists
- Church Minutes
- Church Directories
- Transfer Letters
- Bar or Bat Mitzvahs
- Sunday School lists
- Church newsletters
In addition, many folks also documented important events in family bibles, so they need to be searched as well if the event information has been digitized.
Here are a couple of articles that you might find useful:
- U.S. Church Records Research Guide
- United States Church Records
- A Genealogist’s Guide to Using Catholic Records in Genealogy Research
There is a large number of Free Online Church Record collections; the links accessible by state below:.
Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.
(Updated January, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD):
- Amite County, Ebenezer Baptist Church Minutes 1806-1901
- Columbus, Mt. Zion Baptist Church,Church Minutes and membership rolls, 1843-1965
- Crawford, Bethesda Baptist Church History
- Dixon, Mount Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1897-1915
- Grenada County, Emery Methodist Church Church Register of members, 1786-1922
- Grenada, Grenada Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1891-1896
- Hernando, Hernando Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1874-1894
- Hinds County Churches, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Hinds County, Bethesda Baptist Church, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Hinds County, Spring Ridge United Methodist Church, Miscellaneous Records
- Hinds County, Bethesda Baptist Church Minutes of meetings and lists of members, 1846-1937
- Jackson, Liberty Baptist Church Church Records, 1840-1957
- Jefferson County, Salem Baptist Church Minutes of meetings and lists of members, 1815-1834
- Lexington, Lexington Presbyterian Church Records, 1834-1872
- Lexington, Presbyterian Church, Church Records
- Louisville, First Baptist Church, Church Records, 1835-1853
- Lowndes County, Church Histories and Records
- Meridian, Fellowship Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1838-1898, 1906
- Mississippi : Protestant Episcopal Church Inventory of the Church Archives
- Mississippi, Church Records, 1910-1919
- New Bethany, New Bethany Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1882-1951
- Oktibbeha County, Vernon Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records
- Olive Branch, Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1858-1880
- Sandy Creek, Lawrence County, Bethany Baptist History 1819-1832
- Sandy Creek, Lawrence County, Bethany Baptist History 1832-1848
- Summit, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1855-1949
- Union County, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Minutes: 1843-1857
- Wayne County Church Histories and Records
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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