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 April, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD):
- Atlantic County, Methodist Meeting House Absecon, Records
- Bayonne, First Reformed Church Church Records, 1828-1951
- Bedminster, Somerset, Reformed Dutch Church, Births or Christenings 1840-1875
- Bedminster, Somerset, Reformed Dutch Church, Marriages, 1841-1880
- Belleville, Essex, Second River Dutch Reformed Church, Births or christenings, 1727-1794
- Bergen County New Jersey Church Records
- Bergen County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Bergen, Bergen, Reformed Dutch Church, Births or Christenings, 1666-1788
- Bergen, Bergen, Reformed Dutch Church, Marriages, 1666-1788
- Bergen, First Presbyterian Church Manual no. III
- Bergen, Reformed Dutch Church Records
- Bergen, Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Records, 1666-1788
- Bound Brook, Somerset, Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1810-1815
- Brookdale, Essex County, Stone House Plains Dutch Reformed Church Church Records, 1801-1902
- Burlington County New Jersey Church Records
- Burlington County, Society of Friends. Upper Evesham Monthly Meeting Church Records, 1693-1871
- Burlington, Burlington, Saint Marys Church (formerly Saint Anns Church), Marriages, 1703-1836
- Burlington, St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal Church Register
- Colestown, Gloucester, Saint Marks Church, Births or Christenings, 1787-1815
- Colestown, St. Mary's Church Records
- Cranbury, Middlesex, First Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1745-1876
- Cranbury, Middlesex, First Presbyterian Church, Marriages, 1840-1880
- Cumberland County New Jersey Church Records
- Delaware, Warren, Saint James Episcopal Church, Births or Christenings, 1769-1848
- Elizabeth, Union, Saint John Episcopal Church, Births or Christenings, 1750-1826
- Essex County New Jersey Church Records
- Fairfield, Essex, Births or Christenings, Gansegat Dutch Reformed Church, 1741-1747
- Frenchtown, Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1849-1928
- Gloucester County New Jersey Church Records
- Great Meadows, Danville Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1831-1867
- Greenwich, Warren, Saint James formerly Straw Lutheran Church, Births or Christenings, 1770-1836
- Hackensack, Bergen, Dutch Reformed Church, Births or Christenings, 1686-1802
- Hackensack, Bergen, Dutch Reformed Church, Marriages, 1695-1802
- Hackensack, Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1686-1802
- Hoboken, First Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1850-1899
- Hunterdon County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Jersey City Heights, First Presbyterian Church Record of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Church
- Jersey City, First Presbyterian Church Church Baptism and Marriage Records, 1852-1891
- Keyport, Calvary United Methodist Church Church Records, 1821-2003
- Kingston, Somerset, Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1792-1849
- Lakewood, First Presbyterian Church The Church book : the First Presbyterian Church, Lakewood, New Jersey
- Lawrenceville, Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1807-1960
- Livingston, Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Church Records (baptisms, marriages, membership), 1840-1858
- Mendham, Morris, Methodist Episcopal Church, Births or Christenings, 1862-1883
- Mendham, Morris, Methodist Episcopal Church, Marriages, 1861-1879
- Mendham, Morris, First Presbyterian Congregation, Births or christenings, 1805-1875
- Mendham, Morris, Hilltop or First Presbyterian Congregation, Marriages, 1852-1880
- Mendham, First Presbyterian Church History and Records, 1738-1938
- Mercer County New Jersey Church Records
- Middlesex County New Jersey Church Records
- Middlesex County, Edison, Church Records, 1872-1972
- Monmouth County, Marriages: Christ Church of Shrewsbury, 1734-1824
- Monmouth County, Quaker Records : Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting
- Montgomery Twp., Somerset, Harlingen Dutch Reformed Church, Births or Christenings 1727-1802
- Morris County New Jersey Church Records
- Morristown, History of the First Presbyterian Church
- Morristown, Morris, First Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1743-1839
- Morristown, Morris, First Presbyterian Church, Marriages, 1743-1840
- Morristown, First Presbyterian Church in Morristown The Record v. 1-5 Jan. 1880-Dec. 1885
- New Jersey, Calvary United Methodist Church Records, 1821-2003
- New Jersey, Church Records, 1675-1970
- New Jersey, Miscellaneous Church Records
- New Jersey, Miscellaneous Church Records, by County
- New Jersey, Society of Friends. Woodbury Monthly Meeting Church Records, 1702-1927
- New Jersey, Transcriptions of early Church Records of New Jersey, 1841-1846
- New Providence, Union, New Providence formerly Turkey Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1764-1797
- Newark, Belleville Avenue Congregational Church Church Records 1868-1930
- Newark, First Presbyterian Church Manual
- Newark, First Universalist Church Bylaws and Membership Records, 1855-1875
- Newark, Halsey Street Methodist Episcopal Church Church registers, 1821-1921, 1921-1934
- Newark, St. Stephan's Grace Community Lutheran Church Church Records, 1873-1978
- Newark, Union Street Methodist Episcopal Church Church Records, 1915-1920, 1916-1927
- Newark, United Methodist Church Church Records, 1863-1921
- Oldmans Creek, Gloucester, Moravian Church, Births or Christenings, 1742-1810
- Oldsman's Creek, Gloucester, Moravian Church, Marriages, 1772-1808
- Orange, Central Presbyterian Church Manual, and a list of the communicants and families
- Orange, First Presbyterian Church Manual No. II
- Orange, Grace Episcopal Church Church Records, 1854-1930
- Paramus, Bergan County, New Jersey Reformed Dutch Church, Baptisms, 1740-1850
- Paramus, Bergen County, New Jersey, Reformed Dutch Church, Baptisms and a list of Church members, 1740-1850
- Paramus, Bergen, Dutch Reformed Church, Births or Christenings, 1740-1854
- Passaic County New Jersey Church Records
- Passaic County, Preakness and the Preakness Reformed Church, History, 1695-1902
- Paterson, The First Presbyterian Church of Paterson, New Jersey
- Paterson, Totowa Dutch Reformed Church Church Records, 1756-1869
- Peapack, Somerset, Reformed Dutch Church, Births or Christenings, 1849-1875
- Peapack, Somerset, Reformed Dutch Church, Marriages, 1849-1880
- Plainfield, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Preakness, Preakness Reformed Church Records of the Church and tombstone inscriptions
- Princeton, First Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1792-1970
- Princeton, Second Presbyterian Church Church Records, 1847-1956
- Princeton, Trinity Church, Records, 1833-19 08
- Princeton, Trinity Episcopal Church Church Records, 1834-1992
- Rahway, Christ Reformed Episcopal Church Church Records, 1875-1885
- Saddle River and Ramapo, Zion Lutheran Churches, Records 1818-1943
- Salem County New Jersey Church Records
- Schraalenburg, Bergen, Dutch Reformed Church, Births or Christenings, 1724-1801
- Schraalenburg, Bergen, Dutch Reformed Church, Marriages, 1724-1802
- Scotch Plains, First Day Baptist Church Church Records, 1747-1837
- Somerset County New Jersey Church Records
- Spotswood, Middlesex, Saint Peters Episcopal Church, Births or christenings, 1788-1850
- Sussex County Historical Society, Church Records
- Swedesboro, Gloucester County, Trinity Episcopal Church (Old Swedes), Records, 1785-1975
- Tennent, Monmouth, Old Tennent (Scotch Presbyterian) Church, Births or Christenings, 1730-1823
- Tennent, First Presbyterian Church Marriage Registers, 1795-1824
- The early Germans of New Jersey : their history, churches, and genealogies
- The Records of the Swedish Lutheran churches at Raccoon and Penns Neck, 1713-1786
- Totowa, Bergen, Old Dutch Church, Births or Christenings, 1745-1822
- Trenton, Mercer, Saint Michaels Church, Births or Christenings, 1769-1855
- Trenton, Mercer, Saint Michael's Church, Marriages, 1769-1855
- Trenton, St. Michael's Episcopal Church A History 1703 to 1926
- Union County New Jersey Church Records
- Union County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Walpack, Sussex, Dutch Reformed Church, Births or Christenings, 1741-1830
- Walpack, Sussex, Dutch Reformed Church, Marriages, 1741-1769
- Wantage, Clove Dutch Reformed Church Births or christenings, 1785-1818
- Wantage, Clove Dutch Reformed Church Marriages, 1798-1812
- Warren County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Washington, Warren, Mansfield or Washington Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1817-1827
- Westfield Presbyterian Church, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Westfield, Union, Presbyterian Church, Births or Christenings, 1759-1850
- Westfield, Union, Presbyterian Church, Marriages, 1759-1849
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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