Church records are a broad record category for any record or document produced by a church that is genealogically relevant. These documents may serve as a vital record alternative in the absence of a birth, marriage, or death record when civil registration hasn’t been implemented or when it is missing.
The type of church record and what they consist of depends on the religion, denomination, or church the ancestor attended, as well as the time period and location. For example, some Christian denominations keep careful records that are archived, and others either didn’t keep many records or did not archive them. The researcher will need to determine the church and what records could have been kept. Then they will need to search for where the records are stored.
Information found in church records
Church records may provide:
- Familial connections (parents to child, or a husband and wife, for example)
- Witnesses and others in the person’s community (minister, godparents, sponsors)
- Membership information
- Birth date
- Baptism date
- Confirmation date
- Marriage date and place
- Death date
- Where the person or family lived in a specific place and time
Some church records will be useful as a vital record alternative, especially when researching in a time period before government registration of vital record events. Church records can also provide context for their life in the church, which will help you better understand them.
One caution about using church records is to make sure you understand the context for the records, especially when it contains little information. For example, baptism records might be helpful if you cannot find a birth record for an ancestor. However, not every Christian denomination baptizes babies; some believe in adult baptism, which can mean that the members were baptized at an age spanning childhood to adulthood. So without a birth date or age on that record, it will not be useful as a birth record alternative; it will only prove the baptism information.
Types of church records
The researcher will need to explore what records were kept by the specific church of their ancestor. Each religion and denomination is different. But some possibilities include:
- Baptism Records
- Census
- Christening Records
- Church Programs
- Confirmations
- Excommunications
- Letters (used by members to introduce them to a new congregation)
- Marriage Records
- Marriage Banns
- Meeting Notes
- Membership lists
- Pew Rents
Church records are more than just the records kept by the religious community. They also include any church-owned cemetery, periodical, orphanage, school, or church organization. So, for example, for a church cemetery, you would want to seek out not only the tombstone (if one exists) but also the cemetery records. Faith communities that publish periodicals may include obituaries or vital record notices.
If your ancestor held a role in the church, such as a minister, a nun, or a priest, there may be additional records. In the case of a Catholic religious order, use a search engine to seek out information on that order and possible records.
Determining the religion of ancestors
If you aren’t sure what church or religion your ancestor was a member of, start with home sources. Do you or any other family member have something that would indicate a religious preference or membership? Paper records, jewelry, or an obituary may help determine what religion or church your ancestor was a member of. Practices and beliefs might also hold a clue. Looking at the place they lived might help when considering what church was closest to them. Ethnic origins may suggest a specific religion or church community.
Considerations when researching
Aside from determining what records may exist, depending on the religion or church, the records may not be in the language your ancestor spoke. For example, Catholic records may be in Latin.
Records may not be easily searched or acquired. They may be considered private, and you may need to pay for access, or you may be denied access.
Where to find church records
While some church records may be found online through a genealogy website or the church, such as on MyHeritage, the majority are going to be found with the church itself or a church entity such as a church-sponsored university or archive.
In addition, church records may be found at a historical society or library. There is no central repository, so knowing more about the church and the local repositories, including libraries and archives, will help in locating records. The majority of these records are going to be in paper or microfilm form and may require a trip to the repository to research. In some cases, you may need to write a letter to the repository and pay a fee for research and copying.
Your first step should be identifying the church and what records may exist. Once you’ve exhausted online sources, contact the church for possible records or repositories.
Search for church records
See also
Explore more about church records
- Church records on MyHeritage
- Historical Records: Tracing a family through Yugoslavia, America and Brazil on MyHeritage Blog
- An Overview of Scandinavian Church Records on MyHeritage on MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Using Church Records to Identify Ancestors on Legacy Family Tree Webinars