Alabama
Church Records -
Baptist
The Baptists form the largest denomination in Alabama. The first Baptist church was founded 2 October 1808 on Flint River near Huntsville. The Baptists are the only denomination having some form of centralized state and congregational historic records. Their records are housed in the Samford University Library, Birmingham, Alabama. Included are not only microfilmed minutes of defunct and active congregations, but also the personal papers of many churchmen and a run of the denomination's state newspaper, the Alabama Baptist (1835-present).
Roman Catholic
The state's oldest denomination, Roman Catholic, has records dating from the coming of Iberville's colony near Mobile in 1699. Most parish records are maintained by the local parish.
Episcopal
The first ordained Episcopal minister in the state was licensed in 1764 to minister to British settlers. The WPA Historical Records Survey in 1939 compiled a volume surveying the records of the Protestant Episcopal church in Alabama. The inventory contains a brief history of each parish, a statement on extant parish records, and an index by location and by parish names. Parish records are maintained by the parish. A copy of Alabama Historical Records Survey, Inventory of the Church Archives of Alabama, Protestant Episcopal Church , is at the Birmingham Public Library.
Methodist
Methodist missionaries were sent by the South Carolina Conference into the Tombigbee area in 1809. Today, some Methodist records for north Alabama churches are housed at Birmingham Southern College, and south Alabama church records are housed at Huntingdon College, Montgomery. Birmingham Southern College has a run of the state denominational newspaper, the Christian Advocate (1880-present).
Presbyterian
The first Presbyterian church was organized in 1818 at Huntsville. Historical records for active Presbyterian churches are usually maintained by the local congregation. Some records of defunct churches are held by Samford University and the Alabama Department of Archives and History."
Cemetery Records - No statewide systematic or comprehensive inventory of cemeteries or bibliography of published transcriptions have been compiled. Scattered volumes have been published by various patriotic, historical, and genealogical societies. Many individual cemetery transcriptions have been published in periodicals.
Back to top
Alaska
Church Records - Alaska is home to many different faiths. Due to the lack of early Alaska vital records, church records should not be overlooked as a major record source. Prior to the twentieth century the Russian Orthodox church was the largest religious organization in Alaska. Other large denominations include the Episcopal, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
Many church registers have been collected by the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics and used to compile delayed birth certificates. Some of the registers collected and microfilmed by the Bureau of Vital Statistics are: Juneau Catholic church records, Nulato Catholic church records, Anvik Episcopal church records, Fort Yukon Episcopal church records, Quaker records from Douglas and Kotzebue Friends, Lutheran church records, Kake Presbyterian baptismal records, Mekoryuk Mission Convent baptismal records, and the Kodiak baptismal newsletter. For additional details see David A. Hales, “Uncle Joe Went North! Or How to Find Your Illustrious, Illusive Alaskan Ancestors,” Genealogy Digest (June 1983). The original congregation should be written to in order to obtain a record of birth or baptism.
The Russian Orthodox church, Diocese of Alaska, gave their record archives to the Library of Congress in 1927. These valuable records were in turn translated from Russian, indexed, and microfilmed. This vast collection of 401 rolls of microfilm are inventoried in the volume entitled Inventory: The Alaskan Russian Church Archives (Washington, D.C.: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, 1984).
Microfilm copies of the Russian Orthodox Church Archives are available at the National Archives/Pacific Northwest Region; the University of Alaska, Rasmuson Library, Fairbanks, Alaska; the Alaska State Library, Juneau; University of Alaska Library in Anchorage; and the FHL.
An index of early Russian Orthodox parish registers is found in John Dorosh, Index to Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths in the Archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska, 1816-1886 (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1973).
The Roman Catholic church officially arrived in the Alaska territory in 1902 through efforts of the Sisters of Providence. They were responsible for establishing hospitals in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Nome. The Sisters of Providence Archives is located at 4800 37th Avenue, S.W., Seattle, WA 90126. This archives houses the hospital records of Providence Hospital of Anchorage (1938-present); St. Joseph Hospital in Fairbanks (1910-68), and Holy Cross Hospital in Nome (1902-14).
There is no central repository for Alaskan Catholic parish registers and most are still in the custody of the local parish. There are three dioceses in Alaska: Diocese of Juneau, 416 Fifth Street, Juneau, AK 99801; Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks, 1316 Peger Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701; and the Archdiocese of Anchorage, 1026 West 4th Avenue, Room 203, Anchorage, AK 99501.
Moravian church records have mainly been deposited in Bethel, Alaska. Contact Alaska Moravian Church, P.O. Box 545, Bethel, AK 99559. The records for the Moravian church at Aleknagik and Dillingham are at the Dillingham Moravian Church, P.O. Box 203, Dillingham, AK 99576. Recent church records are held by the pastor in charge of a district within the church.
Presbyterian ministers arrived in Alaska during the 1870s. Mission work was conducted at Fort Wrangel and Sitka. The Presbyterian church records through 1965 are deposited at the Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147.
The Alaska Friends church is largely Native American. Alaska Quaker records are included in the “Alaska Quaker Documents Collection” on file at the Alaska and Polar Regions Collection at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Cemetery Records - There is no major statewide collection or inventory of cemetery records for Alaska. One major cemetery that has been indexed is the Sitka National Cemetery. This cemetery is one of the smallest national cemeteries with over 500 graves of military personnel and their families, and dates from 1867. A listing of the burials in the Sitka National Cemetery was published in the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly (Spring 1975): 17-19. Additional information on the cemetery can be obtained by writing the Superintendent, Sitka National Cemetery, P.O. Box 152, Sitka, AK 99835. Another valuable research tool for the Sitka area is Thayne I. Andersen's work, Sitka, Alaska Death and Burial Register to 1986 (Fairbanks: the author, 1987).
Back to top
Arizona
Church Records - Spanish efforts to plant missions in Pimeria Alta (Arizona) were abortive well into the 1800s. The Jesuits fell out of favor and were followed by the Franciscans, who fared no better. In 1833 the missions yielded to the Mexican Act of Secularization and succumbed to decay. Only a tiny fraction of vital and historical records are extant. Numerous suggestions for research during the Spanish and Mexican periods are given by Henry Putney Beers in Spanish and Mexican Records of the American Southwest. For records of modern times, consult either the churches in question or the public library in the location where ancestors were residing. The Arizona Historical Society has a cross-filed catalog on church records in their card catalog.
Cemetery Records - Three volumes of books published by the Arizona Genealogical Society on cemeteries in the state are located at the Arizona State Archives. The archives also holds more than three hundred sheets of microfiche alphabetically listing people who lived in the state thirty years or more prior to their death. It is derived from an index to obituaries recorded mainly in Phoenix newspapers, but covering deaths from all over the state from 1865–1986.
There is also an organized group of individuals who are actively preserving some of Phoenix's old cemeteries and making accurate records for posterity. They may be reached at the following address: Pioneers' Cemetery Association, Inc., P.O. Box 63342, Phoenix, Arizona 85082-3342.
Back to top
Arkansas
Church Records - Some
church records for Arkansas churches are available at the Arkansas
History Commission. These include published church histories,
church records, newspapers, and manuscript collections.
- Baptist -
Arkansas Baptist State Convention Collection, Ouachita Baptist University, Riley Library, 410 Ouachita, Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71923.
- Lutheran -
Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church, 3558 South Jefferson Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.
- Roman Catholic -
Chancery Office, St. John's Seminary, North Tyler and I Streets, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201.
- Episcopal -
The Bishop's Office, 509 Scott Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201.
- Methodist -
North Arkansas Conference Depository, Hendrix College, Olin C. Bailey Library, Washington and Front Streets, Conway, Arkansas 72032; and Little Rock Conference Depository, Methodist Headquarters Building, 1723 Broadway, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204
- Presbyterian -
Arkansas College Library, Batesville, Arkansas 72501.
Cemetery Records - Local county genealogical and historical organizations have copied, cataloged, and published records of local cemeteries. Most of these are in the collection at the Arkansas History Commission; many are in the DAR Library. Most of those in the DAR collection have been microfilmed by the FHL.
The Arkansas Family Historian, a publication of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, publishes transcriptions of gravestones from cemeteries as do many local and regional periodicals. No statewide index to cemetery records exists.
Back to top
California
Church Records - There are no centralized repositories dealing with church records in California. Scattered records can be found in genealogical publications, the DAR compilations, and on microfilm. Three timely, comprehensive articles about church records can be found in the Summer, Fall, and Winter 1990 issues of Southern California Historical Quarterly, published by the Historical Society of Southern California, 200 East Avenue 43, Los Angeles, California, 90031. Entitled "Archival Sources for the History of Religion in California," Part 1 is subtitled "Catholic Sources" and was compiled by Monsignor Francis J. Weber; Part 2, "Jewish Religious Sources," is by William M. Kramer and Norton B. Stern; and Part 3, "Protestant Sources," is by Eldon G. Ernst.
The Spanish missions have played a central role in California's religious history. Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan, raised the standard to his sovereign on 2 June 1769 and began the trek that led him the length of the state of California. He founded a string of missions that would lead the state in the settlement of the vast uncharted land and the conversion of its natives. About a third of the total missions built were founded by Father Serra.
Microfiche of an alphabetical list of some vital records from the missions is available at the FHL in addition to the microfilm entries below:
• Mission San Diego de Alcala—San Diego
• Mission Luis Rey de Francia—Oceanside
• Mission San Juan Capistrano—San Juan Capistrano
• Mission San Gabriel Arcangel—San Gabriel
• Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana—San Fernando Valley
• Mission San Buenaventura—Ventura
• Mission Santa Barbara—Santa Barbara [records can be located at the Santa Barbara Heritage Library (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies)]
• Mission Santa Ines—in the town of Solvang
• Mission La Purisima Concepcion—Lompoc
• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa—San Luis Obispo
• Mission San Miguel Arcangel—nine miles north of Paso Robles
• Mission San Antonio de Padua—three miles southwest of King City
• Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad—three miles south of Soledad
• Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo—south of Carmel
• Mission San Juan Bautista—San Juan Bautista
• Mission Santa Cruz—Santa Cruz (microfilm of the original Records of Baptism and Correspondence, 1791–1814, is available from Library Microfilms, Palo Alto, California)
• Mission Santa Clara de Asis—Santa Clara
• Mission San Jose de Guadalupe—Fremont
• Mission San Francisco de Asis—also known as Dolores, in San Francisco
• Mission San Rafael Arcangel—San Rafael
• Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma—Sonoma State Park
Cemetery Records - Printed secondary sources of transcribed cemeteries exist for most California counties. The California State Society of the DAR has collected hundreds of such records. Transcripts are housed both at the national DAR and with some local chapters and libraries. They are also available on microfilm through the FHL and the Sutro Library in San Francisco (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies). A complete set of the DAR records (over 180 volumes) is also in the California Room of the California State Library. Included in this collection are census, newspaper, cemetery, court, Bible, and family records.
Several cemeteries previously located in San Francisco were “moved” out of the city in the 1930s to South San Francisco and Coloa, for example.
Back to top
Colorado
Church Records - Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Colorado–Church Records, published under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration of the U. S. government, is housed at the Colorado State Historical Society. It is also available at the FHL and several other major repositories. The best collection of Roman Catholic records for northern Colorado is located in the Archdiocese of Denver, and for the southern section at the Archdiocese of Pueblo. These records may be used by genealogical researchers.
A few Colorado church records have been microfilmed and are available for loan through the FHL. A more detailed discussion of church records can be found in Hinckley's article “Genealogical Research in Colorado”
Cemetery Records - Kay R. Merrill, ed., The Colorado Cemetery Directory (Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies, 1985) attempts to identify, locate, and publish information from every known cemetery in the state of Colorado. The book is divided by county and then by alphabetical name of the cemetery. Location, type of cemetery, history, status, and whether published records exist are included in this comprehensive publication.
The Colorado National Guard maintains an incomplete military graves registration which covers military burials from 1862–1949. This index is located at the Colorado State Archives and is restricted, but information from it can be accessed through the archives. If a copy of the original or cause of death is desired, the researcher will need authorization from the Office of the Adjutant General, Colorado Department of Military Affairs, Administration, 6848 S. Revere Parkway, Englewood, Colorado 80112.
There are two national cemeteries in Colorado: Fort Logan National Cemetery, 3698 S. Sheridan Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80235, and Fort Lyon National Cemetery, VA Medical Center, Fort Lyon, Colorado 81038.
Back to top
Connecticut
Church Records - Early Connecticut settlers established the Congregational church
as the tax-supported state church until 1818 when the state constitution
was accepted abolishing the connection between church and state.
Sometimes, if one parish was getting too large, a second was formed
that became a precursor to a new town with the permission of the
general assembly. Other denominations followed eventually, particularly
the Baptists and Episcopalians from Rhode Island on the eastern
border with Connecticut. Information in Connecticut's church records
has often been found to be more informative, complete, or accurate
than the town vital records.
Many town churches have deposited their older records for safe
keeping with the Connecticut State Library. A List of Church Records
in the Connecticut State Library is available at the cost of a
photocopy, which updates the library holdings.
Approximately one-quarter of those records housed at the Connecticut
State Library has been indexed in a format similar to that of
the Barbour and Hale collections with individual index slips and
bound compilations of individual churches. This Church Record
Index File is state-wide, goes beyond 1850, but does not include
all church records. Even in a town with more than one Congregational
church, generally only the first is included in this index. Notably,
many church records in incorporated cities have not been indexed.
Many town churches have deposited their older records for safe
keeping with the Connecticut State Library.
In addition to vital records, indications of migration in listings
of past and future church membership are often found when dates
of admission or dismissal are given in membership lists for churches.
Cemetery Records - Centralization is the norm for Connecticut's cemetery records. The Connecticut State Library holds the Hale Collection containing over one million gravestone inscriptions. The project to collect these began in 1916 by Charles R. Hale but was continued by act of the General Assembly and the WPA through the 1930s. While clearly many stones had been lost or destroyed by that time, over 2,000 cemeteries were located state-wide and included in the collection. Each town's inscriptions are bound in separate volumes, but an alphabetical index across towns is available. Both have been microfilmed and are available through the FHL.
Cemeteries might have been church, family, town, or private ones. Only twentieth-century death records have place of burial indicated, but most administrators operating cemeteries in the state have records of their own, and many historical societies in the state have collections of town cemeteries not included in the Hale Collection. As with other states, the DAR chapter produces annual volumes of Bible, cemetery, and family records, which are deposited at the Connecticut State Library and the DAR Library in Washington, D.C.
Town clerks usually keep "Burial Books," generally beginning in the late nineteenth century, which indicate place of burial in that town for those who died outside of town.
Back to top
Delaware
Church Records - The records of one of the oldest and most noted churches were published as The Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Del., From 1697 to 1773, With an Abstract of the English Records From 1773 to 1810 and Catalogue and Errata of the Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church , with a supplemental Catalogue and Errata, translated and edited by Horace Burr, in Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, 9 and 9-A (Wilmington, Del.: Historical Society of Delaware, 1890, 1919). Because of the erroneous translations, this work should be used with material by Courtland B. Springer and Ruth L. Springer in Delaware History, vols. 5 and 6 (1954, 1957); the Delaware Genealogical Society Journal; and in manuscript at the Historical Society of Delaware. Other major publications of church records include Records of the Welsh Tract Baptist Meeting, Pencader Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, 1701 to 1828, Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, 42 (Wilmington, Del.: Historical Society of Delaware, 1904); Friends in Wilmington 1738–1938 (N.p., n.d.), which includes marriages, burials, and genealogies; and Christopher M. Agnew, ed., God with Us: A Continuing Presence (New Castle, Del.: Immanuel Church, 1986), with an alphabetical list of baptisms, marriages, and burials, 1714–1985, of New Castle's historic Immanuel Church (Episcopal).
Some Delaware church records have been printed in the Delaware Genealogical Society Journal, Delaware History, and in other publications. Original and WPA-transcribed records of many Delaware churches are at the state archives and some are at the Historical Society of Delaware. At the historical society, the Kelso Collection contains a large amount of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Methodist records, mostly from rural circuits and charges, for Delaware and Maryland's eastern shore. An index to this valuable collection is in progress. Some Quaker records are at the state archives and the Historical Society of Delaware; others are at the Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
A project has been approved by the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington (which includes Delaware and the nine eastern shore counties of Maryland) to place microfilms of its baptismal records to 1910 and first communion, confirmation, marriage, and burial records to 1955 at the state archives and historical societies in the two states.
Recommeded Reading
- Churches in Delaware during the revolution,: With a brief account of their settlement and growth,
 by Elizabeth Waterston (Author)
- The Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Delaware, compiled and published by the Public Archives Commission of the State of Delaware (while somewhat dated, is good for determining what records existed at that time.)
- The Churches of Delaware (1947) by Frank P. Zebley (while it does not discuss their records, identifies almost 900 existing and defunct churches in the state)
- The Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Del., From 1697 to 1773, With an Abstract of the English Records From 1773 to 1810 and Catalogue and Errata of the Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, translated and edited by Horace Burr
Cemetery Records - The largest central file of grave marker transcriptions and abstracts is in the Tatnell Tombstone Collection at the Delaware State Archives, compiled by the Historical Records Survey. Also at the state archives is the Hudson Collection of Sussex County tombstones, which is more thorough than the Tatnell. For Kent County see also Raymond Walter Dill and others, Souls in heaven, names in stone: Kent County, Delaware, cemetery records , 2 vols. (Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1989). Some cemetery records are at the Historical Society of Delaware, and some have been printed in the Delaware Genealogical Society Journal and in other publications.
Back to top
District of Columbia
Church Records - Early religious denominations in the District of Columbia included Episcopalians (Episcopal Church Historian, Washington Cathedral, Mount Saint Alban, Washington, D.C. 20016); Roman Catholics (Archdiocese of Washington, P.O. Box 29260, Washington, D.C. 20017); Baptists (American Baptist Historical Society, 1106 South Goodman Street, Rochester, New York 14620); and Methodists (Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 127, Madison, New Jersey 07940) (see also Maryland and Virginia—Church Records).
There is a WPA inventory for Episcopal records: Inventory of Church Archives in the District of Columbia: The Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of Washington, Vol. 1—District of Columbia, Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles, St. Mary's counties, Maryland (Washington, D.C.: Historical Records Survey, 1940); and Vol. 2—Washington Cathedral (Washington, D.C.: Historical Records Survey, n.d.).
Cemetery Records - The DAR has the best collection of tombstone inscriptions for the area, including the original registers of burials in the District of Columbia cemeteries. The six-volume set covers 1847 to 1938 and is at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. Other publications include a series compiled and published by the Columbian Harmony Society. The following are representative: Paul E. Sluby, Sr., and Stanton L. Wormley, Sr., Civil War Cemeteries of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area; Register of Burials of the Joseph F. Birch Funeral Home (4 vols., covers the period 1847 to 1938; Mt. Zion Cemetery Washington, D.C.: A Brief History and Interments; and Selected Small Cemeteries of Washington, D.C.
Back to top
Florida
Church Records - As in most former frontier societies, early Florida church records are hit-and-miss, but they can be valuable when located. The Roman Catholic faith accompanied the earliest Spanish settlers to Florida, and by 1822 the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians were also active in the new territory. By 1845 the Baptists had split into the Missionary and Primitive varieties (probably totaling more than 5,000 Florida members), and all of the above groups had become more or less well organized Methodists had two churches in Fernandina as early as 1822 (under the South Carolina Conference) and more than 10,000 members by statehood.
The Episcopalians by 1845 had parishes at Apalachicola, Jacksonville, Key West, Pensacola, and Tallahassee in addition to others in several smaller towns. In 1840 Florida Presbyterian churches were divided among the Florida, Georgia, and Alabama Presbyteries. An incomplete but voluminous list of Florida churches in existence fifty years ago is the WPA volume Preliminary List of Religious Bodies in Florida. A microfiche edition is available from the Florida State Archives, and the original survey forms from which the volume was compiled are now in the state library's Florida Room. Church records are also to be had in the holdings of most libraries and archival depositories throughout the state, and denominational representatives should be consulted for repositories peculiar to their particular persuasions.
Saint Augustine's Roman Catholic Cathedral Parish records beginning in 1594 are maintained by the parish's current archivist at St. Augustine Catholic Diocese, 11625 St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, Florida. It includes marriages, baptisms, and burials
Cemetery Records - Cemetery records are held by most Florida libraries and archives. One important compiled source is the WPA Register of Deceased Veterans Buried in Florida, which covers fifty-one of the sixty-seven counties. Access to the massive amount of cemetery information scattered throughout the state is being facilitated by a continuing cemetery location project of the Florida State Genealogical Society. The information will be published, but queries on locations and published surveys may in the meantime be directed to Cemetery Survey Chairman, Florida State Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10249, Tallahassee, FL 32302. It is important to note that this is a directory of cemeteries and published records, not of personal names
Back to top
Georgia
Church Records - Few of Georgia's major religious groups maintained records rich in genealogical information. However, their historical records provide a deeper understanding of religious life in earlier times and document someone's residence when they are listed on membership rolls.
Georgia's major religious denominations include the
- Baptists: Georgia Baptist Historical Collection, Eugene W. Stetson Memorial Library, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207
- Methodists: United Methodist Museum, P.O. Box 408, St. Simons Island, Georgia 31522
- Roman Catholics: Savannah and Diocesan Archives, 302 East Liberty Street, P.O. Box 8789, Savannah, Georgia 31402.
Other early denominations present in Georgia in fewer numbers include Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists. While their respective repositories house historical records, the Georgia Department of Archives and History has a good collection of church records on microfilm. Consult the holdings of other major genealogical libraries with southern collections for additional sources, including the FHL.
Cemetery Records - No statewide systematic or comprehensive inventory of cemeteries or bibliography of published transcriptions have been compiled. Scattered volumes have been published by various patriotic, historical, and genealogical societies. Many individual cemetery transcriptions have been published in periodicals. The
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and others have compiled
and published volumes of cemetery records. DAR publications include Bible, court,
and probate records in addition to cemetery inscriptions. Consult
holdings of the Georgia Department of Archives and History , Daughters
of the American Revolution Library (see page 6), and the FHL for major collections of published tombstone inscriptions. Other
public and private libraries may have smaller collections.
There is a online Cemetery database for the book 30,638 Burials in Georgia an list of 30,638 burials in the state of Georgia was copied over a 35-year period from headstones and markers in 600 cemeteries located in nearly 100 Georgia counties.
Back to top
Hawaii
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Idaho
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Illinois
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Indiana
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Iowa
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Kansas
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Kentucky
Church Records - Church membership of early Kentuckians include Baptist, Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic. Some church records were published, others were microfilmed, some are housed in church repositories, but many remain in the local church. Church records and histories may be found in periodicals pertaining to Kentucky. Repositories include the DAR Library, the FHL, Kentucky Historical Society, University of Kentucky Library, and Filson Club Library. The original Shane Manuscript Collection, which pertains to Kentucky Presbyterians, is housed at Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147. It has been microfilmed and is available at other libraries.
See also Kentucky Bible Records, 6 vols., from files of the Genealogical Records Committee, Kentucky Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. Volume 4 was compiled by Malle B. Coyle and Anne W. Fitzgerald for the Kentucky Records Research Committee (Florence, Ky.: Kentucky State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 1966). Volume 5 was compiled by Malle B. Coyle and Lorena C. Eubanks (1981). Each volume is individually indexed. Most entries include only name, date, and name and address of the owner of the Bible at the time of publication. These are available at the Kentucky Historical Society. Local genealogical groups publish Kentucky Bible records in genealogical publications such as Bluegrass Roots, and Kentucky Ancestors.
Cemetery Records - Many
collections of cemetery records are available for Kentucky.
In 1977 the Kentucky Historical Society began computerizing
extant cemetery records for the state. Cemetery tombstone transcriptions
are included in the Ardery collection. The main repositories
for cemetery compilations are the Kentucky Historical Society, University of Kentucky Library, Filson Club Library, DAR Library
in Washington, D.C., local libraries, and the FHL.
Kentucky regional libraries and some other large genealogical
libraries outside the state have collections of Kentucky cemetery
transcriptions. In addition, publications pertaining to Kentucky
and Kentuckians frequently contain cemetery records for the
state.
Back to top
Louisiana
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Maine
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Maryland
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Massachusetts
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Michigan
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Minnesota
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Mississippi
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Missouri
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Montana
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Nebraska
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Nevada
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
New Hampshire
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
New Jersey
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
New Mexico
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
New York
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
North Carolina
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
North Dakota
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Ohio
Church Records - Religion in Ohio was an early and important factor in settlement. The first Moravian mission was established in 1772. Presbyterians and Quakers were in the state at an early date, the latter having established forty-three monthly meetings and settlements between 1801 and 1883. The Presbyterians founded seventeen towns between 1784 and 1799. Baptists, Congregationalists, several reformed groups, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, United Brethren, Methodists, and Catholics arrived prior to 1850. By 1890 the latter two denominations were the largest in the state. The Methodist circuit in Ohio was organized in 1798, with circuit riders traveling from log cabins to camp meetings across the territory. In 1831 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrated from New York to Kirtland in Lake County. No thorough survey exists of any of the holdings of individual churches in Ohio, although many are on microfilm through the FHL. The Ohio Genealogical Society is presently undertaking a church records survey.
Historical Records Survey for Ohio produced an Inventory of the Church Archives of Ohio Presbyterian Churches . Records of the Quakers in the Miami Valley and the Church of the Brethren of the Southern District of Ohio are available on microfilm through the FHL. The Western Reserve Historical Society has an extensive Shaker manuscript collection. Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio, has Mennonite records
Cemetery Records - According to the Ohio Genealogical Society, the majority of Ohio counties have published cemetery records in one form or another. They suggest contacting local societies or one of the major genealogical libraries in the state.
Ohio Cemeteries (Ohio Genealogical Society, 1978), is a listing comprising all known cemeteries included in several sources. It is organized by county and by township, alphabetically, with an index by cemetery name. Included are concise locations of the cemetery and publication information. Ohio Cemeteries: Addendum (Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1990), includes updates and revisions to the previous volume. County chapters of the Ohio Genealogical Society can be contacted regarding cemetery information in their counties.
See also:
- Ohio Cemetery Records: Extracted from the “Old Northwest” Genealogical Quarterly (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984), which includes an every-name index by Elizabeth P. Bentley and covers northeastern and central Ohio
- Ohio Adjutant General's Office, Grave Registration of Soldiers Buried in Ohio (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958).
Back to top
Oklahoma
Church Records - A Methodist church was organized at Pecan Point, in present-day McCurtain County, in 1818. It was the first Protestant church in the territory. Prior to statehood the largest numbers of citizens were Baptist, Roman Catholic, Disciples of Christ, or Methodist. Church records are among the most-difficult-to-locate sources in Oklahoma. Some are on microfilm at the Oklahoma Historical Society; others are maintained by members of the congregation and are housed in private homes rather than in church repositories. Still others are stored in the respective church. Some church records are deposited in the denominations' archives. A Historical Records Survey inventory was created relating to various church records in the counties. Preliminary List of Churches and Religious Organizations in Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Okla.: Historical Records Survey, 1942).
The Chronicles of Oklahoma frequently publishes articles concerning specific churches or denominations. An example is Walter N. Vernon, “Methodist Beginnings Among Southwest Oklahoma Indians,” The Chronicles of Oklahoma 58 (1980): 392–411. Find Oklahoma Church Record Books at Amazon.com
Numerous missions provided through the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Moravian churches were established to serve Native Americans. Both teachers and missionaries constituted part of the nonnative population in Indian Territory. Some records are on microfilm in the Archives and Manuscript Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Others are maintained by denominational archives.
Records for Methodists, Catholics, and Baptists are housed in state facilities:
- United Methodist, Box 1138, Bristow, Oklahoma 74010.
- Roman Catholic Chancery Office, 1521 North Hudson, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 63103
- Oklahoma Baptist University Library, Shawnee, Oklahoma 74801. Privately funded, the library collection contains some materials and histories of the Baptist church.
- Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73106. Founded in 1911 at Guthrie, it is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church. After uniting with Epworth University, it was relocated to Oklahoma City.
Cemetery Records - The Oklahoma Historical Society Library has the state copies of cemetery transcriptions completed by the state DAR, although this group of compilations is by no means comprehensive. A card file index at the library lists cemeteries in the DAR collection and some other cemeteries that have been canvased. The card index is alphabetical by name of county and indicates the cemetery. Find Oklahoma Cemetery Record Books at Amazon.com
Many other cemetery records exist that are not on the card file. Published records include some for Carter, Garfield, LeFlore, Murray, Muskogee, Payne, Roger Mills, Sequoyah, and Woodward counties. The FHL has Cemetery Records of Oklahoma. 9 vols. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959–62). Also see James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, OUR PEOPLE AND WHERE THEY REST 8-Vol Set. , (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma, 1969–78), and Madeline S. Mills and Helen R. Mullenax, Relocated cemeteries in Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Texas (Tulsa, Okla.: the authors, 1974).
Back to top
Oregon
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Pennsylvania
Church Records - The Historical Records Survey produced an inventory of the church archives in Pennsylvania, but it was never published. Arranged by county, the inventory is located in the state archives. A good number of church records have been published individually and in periodicals such as The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. Many copies exist in manuscript at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Library (DAR collection), and in other libraries. A good portion of the published material concerns German churches and Quaker meetings.
Some major religious bodies have libraries in the commonwealth with collections that include not only Pennsylvania church records, but those for other states as well. These include the following:
- The collection at the Friends Historical Library Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA 19081
The library has original and microfilmed Quaker records, mostly for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and some for Virginia, including those for fourteen Pennsylvania meetings copied by Hinshaw but never published. While the basic meeting records are located at Swarthmore, other material can be found at Haverford College Library Quaker Collection Haverford, PA 19041-1392
- The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society 2215 Millstream Road Lancaster, PA 16702-1499
has a handout entitled Genealogical Resources at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. A research fee is charged for mail inquiries. The society also publishes a quarterly, Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage.
- The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society of the United Church of Christ 555 West James Street Lancaster, PA 17603
loans microfilm of church records, covering German churches in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, and York counties, as well as a few for Maryland and Virginia. Many German church records, particularly for the German Reformed and Evangelical church, have been published in books and periodicals.
- The Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147
has records of over 20,000 churches and has published the Journal of Presbyterian History since 1901.
- The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center at the Balch Institute 18 South 7th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106.
has a microfilm collection of Jewish synagogue and cemetery records; other related material. Other important archives are kept by: The Moravians 66 West Church Street Bethlehem, PA 18018
- The Schwenkfelders Pennsburg, PA 18073
- The Lutherans Abdel Ross Wentz Library Gettysburg, PA 17325
- Luthean Theological Seminary 7301 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19119
Cemetery Records - Large collections of cemetery records are located at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, and at many local libraries and historical societies. The Pennsylvania State Library maintains the state's DAR cemetery collection. Several funeral director records for Philadelphia are in the Collections of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania State Department of Military Affairs has records of veterans' graves and burials. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is currently in the process of microfilming cemetery records throughout the commonwealth.
Back to top
Rhode Island
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
South Carolina
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
South Dakota
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Tennessee
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Texas
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Utah
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Vermont
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Virginia
Church Records - Unlike New England, colonial Virginia left few early church records. The first Virginians were members of the Church of England, or Anglican church, which became the Episcopal Church in 1786. Early parish registers are incomplete and challenging to use. Parish boundaries changed rapidly and are hard to pinpoint.
Since colonial times, many religious groups have established congregations in Virginia, including Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Quaker or Friends, to name a few. Except for the Quakers, few of these groups kept records containing such genealogical information as birth, marriage, and death dates. A number of church vestry books and registers have been published and are available at The Library of Virginia and the FHL.
Cemetery Records - The list of published tombstone inscriptions for Virginia, if a comprehensive list existed, would be lengthy. The DAR has compiled an extensive collection of Virginia tombstone inscriptions. The collection, along with other cemetery record publications, can be found at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., The Library of Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society, and the FHL.
Cemetery interment registers and gravestone inscriptions may often be sources of useful information for Virginia researchers. The state government does not have a long, uninterrupted, centralized file of birth and death records that are readily accessible to researchers. Wars, floods, and fires have destroyed the vital record of many of Virginia's counties. Oftentimes, information found in cemetery records and on gravestones cannot be found anywhere else. When looking for a specific cemetery in Virginia, you may wish to start with the following comprehensive resource.
Virginia Cemeteries: A Guide to Resources , edited by Anne M. Hogg, with Dennis A. Tosh (Charlottesville, 1986) contains descriptions and locations of hundreds of Virginia cemeteries, which are indexed both by cemetery name and by location. For cemeteries that were still being used or maintained when the editors were compiling the data, the name and address of the keeper is also included, although some of that information may now be obsolete.
It is also possible to search for specific cemeteries through your computer. Use your search engine to enter specific keywords.
Books abstracting the information on tombstones and/or registers are also useful resources. Check the Online Catalog of the Library of Virginia by going to the Library's home page.
An online series on Research in Virginia Documents. Prepared by Daphne Gentry, Publications and Education Services Division. Copyright by The Library of Virginia; this note may be reproduced in full if proper credit is given and no changes are made.
Back to top
Washington
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
West Virginia
Church Records - With the arrival of English and Scots-Irish settlers came West Virginia's early dominant religions. Many families of English origin were Quakers and the Scots-Irish were Presbyterians. Both religions were well established by 1740, and they were followed by Baptists who settled in Berkeley County in 1743 and a Methodist circuit in Berkeley and Jefferson counties in 1778. For a complete discussion of early church records, see Virginia-Church Records.
Since colonial times dozens of religious groups have established congregations in West Virginia including the following: Baptist, West Virginia Baptist Historical Society, P.O. Box 1019, Parkersburg, West Virginia 26101; Methodist, Methodist Historical Society, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Annie M. Pfeiffer Library, College Avenue, Buckhannon, West Virginia 26201; Roman Catholic, Diocese of Wheeling/Charleston, P.O. Box 230, Wheeling, West Virginia 26003; and United Brethren, Historical Library, Church of the Brethren, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120, denominations.
Many religious groups have deposited their records at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. Church record inventories compiled as part of the Historical Records Survey are available there and at the FHL.
Cemetery Records - The most extensive collection of West Virginia tombstone inscriptions was compiled by the Historical Records Survey. Available at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection and on microfilm at the FHL, the collection includes inscriptions through 1939-40. The DAR and others have published volumes of cemetery records.
Back to top
Wisconsin
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
Wyoming
Church Records -
Cemetery Records -
Back to top
|
