|
|
Flip-Pal
Mobile Scanner
Compact, lightweight, cordless mobile scanner empowers you to scan big or small originals in full colour... More information >>
|
|
|
Advertisement
Church Records in Family History Research
Column published: 23 June 2006
By: Shirley Gage Hodges Biography & Archived Articles
Church records rank among the very best genealogical records available and were generally kept in a much earlier time period than were civil vital records. We find, however, that church records tend to be one of the least used of the many avenues of research available to the genealogist. This is probably because most folks don't realize what a treasure trove of information is hidden in these records. Perhaps the greatest value of church records is that they do occur far earlier than the civil recordings of birth, marriage, and death. Because civil records are not always available, church records can be vital in reconstructing your family.
Baptism, marriage, and burial registers are the records most frequently consulted by genealogists, as they document the vital events of individual congregational members. Other useful records include board and committee minutes, communion rolls and all forms of membership lists; i.e., circuit registers, and historic rolls.
You can't expect church records to take the place of vital records and wills and deeds. But never underestimate their potential in solving difficult problems and in providing local color for your history.
Church records are also very good supplements to civil vital records. They are excellent sources to fill gaps where official records are missing or were never kept. They often contain important facts that are not recorded in any other source. They help us to tell our ancestor's story. Church records have great possibilities for genealogical research, but they are best used as a way to solve some of the puzzles in our family histories.
Here are some of the types of records that I will encourage you to look for:
- Baptism, marriage and burial records
- Church census records
- Membership lists of arriving or new members, departing members.
- Members who have been excommunicated, read out of meetings or censured.
- Minutes of various organizations within a church
- Records of church socials
- Biographical notes on members
- Transcriptions of talks or testimonies given in a particular meeting
- Notes on funeral ceremonies with references to the names of family members who attended
Suggested resources:
- Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches is published yearly by the National Council of Churches in the USA and is the most up-to-date compilation of contacts, facts and figures on US and Canadian churches and church agencies, published by the National Council of Churches in the USA.
- Kirkham, E. Kay. A Survey of American Church Records: Major and Minor Denominations Before 1880-1890.
- Kirkham, E. Kay. A Survey of American Church Records: For the period before the Civil War, East of the Mississippi River
Shirley Hodges genealogyshirl@hotmail.com
To read back issues of Shirley Hodges' articles, visit her biography & archived Articles
Advertisement
Check out the resources at GlobalGenealogy.com:
History & Genealogy Books, Maps, & CDs...
History and genealogy books, maps, CDs from a wide selection of publishers, including Global Heritage Press. Browse resources listed by country, location or topic.
|
|
GHP eBooks & Vital Records on CD
Searchable, electronic versions of Global Heritage Press books and vital records provided on CD Rom for both PC and Mac users. A cost-effective way to grow your personal research library while saving shelf-space.
|
Software & Technology
for the Family Historian
Genealogy & family tree software, hardware, scanning, digital imaging including Family Tree Maker, Reunion Family Tree, Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner, Digital Imaging Essentials |
|
Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
A compact cordless stand-alone portable scanner that doesn't need to be attached to a computer. Scans images both big and small using its automated stitching feature.
|
Acid-Free Document & Artifact Preservation Products
Acid-free storage and display products to preserve and safely store your family heirloom documents and artifacts.
|
|
Family Tree Charts & Census Forms
Poster-size blank family tree charts, plus a variety of free blank letter-size charts and census forms
|
O R D E R D E S K
1-800-361-5168( 9-5 Monday to Friday )
|
|
|
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Father of the Canadian Crown Exiled from the court of his father, and accompanied by his long-time mistress Julie de St. Laurent, the 24-year-old Prince and future father of Queen Victoria arrived in Quebec City in 1791....
Read on...
Edwardsburgh Family Histories
[Grenville County, Ontario] Includes family histories of more than 70 families in Edwardsburgh Township and...
Read on...
Abbey pH Testing Pen A fast, easy, inexpensive and dependable way to determine the acidity of paper, documents, storage boxes, packing tissue and....
Read on...
Prisons, Asylums, and the Public:
Institutional Visiting in the Nineteenth Century sheds new light on popular nineteenth-century attitudes towards the insane and the criminal......
Read on...
Household Counts:
Canadian Households and Families in 1901 This collection not only makes an important contribution to family history, but also to the widening intellectual exploration of historical censuses......
Read on...
The Trail of the Black Walnut Starting soon after the outbreak of the American Revolution numerous Pennsylvania-German families and so-called "Plain Folk" (i.e. Mennonnites, Dunkards, Moravians, Amish, Hutterites, etc) migrated north to Canada in successive waves. Together, in cultural and religious and kinship groups they settled.....
Read on...
Catherine Tekakwitha: Her Life
"Lily of the Mohawks" The story is told by an eye-witness -- her spiritual director -- of the events in her life from the time she arrived at the Jesuit mission just outside of Montreal, known at that time as.......
Read on...
How Our Ancestors Died,
A Guide For Family & Local Historians
[United Kingdom & elswhere] In addition to describing causes of death and setting them in the context of the times, his book shows readers how to find and interpret patient records, death certificates and other documents in order to gain an accurate impression of how their ancestors died......
Read on...
Dictionary of Glengarry Biography
[Glengarry County, Ontario] BACK IN PRINT: A comprehensive history of Glengarry county told through the lives of pioneers, fur traders, soldiers, farmers, railway barons, politicians, criminals, anybody and everyone who helped make Glengarry one of Canada's most storied and celebrated counties. This thick book includes 1600 biographical sketches, with more than...
Read on...
|
|
|
| |
