Church records contain information about births, marriages, deaths, baptisms, and christenings. Before the 1800s (when many Western countries began taking censuses), church records were often the most reliable documentation of major life events.

In addition to providing names and dates, church records can reveal relationships between people and depict a family’s status in the community. Read more about church records.

Search church records (Or click the Search tab > select Card Catalogue > select Directories & Member Lists > select Church Records & Histories.)
 

1. If you’re looking for records in a certain denomination, type the name of the denomination (like "Presbyterian") in the Keyword(s) field and click Search. If you’re not looking for a certain denomination, skip this step.
2. To search within a denomination record collection, select a record collection from the list. To search all church records, click Search entire “Church Histories & Records” Category above the list on the right side of the page.
3. Enter information and click Search.

Tips

• https://internalancestrysupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933306649747-Identify-Unstated-Needs-SMS-WhatsApp a denomination first, and use it in your search; church records are organized by denomination.
• If marriage records don’t reveal a denomination (either because a marriage took place in a civil ceremony or because the denomination isn’t listed in marriage records), search for marriage records for siblings of the person you’re searching for.
• Customarily, weddings took place in the bride’s church.
• Look for clues in a family Bible, baptismal certificates, wedding announcements, organizational certificates, or obituaries to find church information by which to search. These documents can reveal the denomination, a church name, or the identity and title of the person officiating a religious ceremony.
• If you have a hard time locating someone in church records, look for the names of clergy and search for clergy names to learn about the congregation.
• A death certificate usually identifies the funeral home, and funeral home records usually list the name of the person who officiated a funeral, which may lead to a church.

Resources

Our parish records page contains a search field for all parish records in the https://internalancestrysupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933351895699-UK-New-Year-s-2023 and Ireland, search tips, and a list of parish collections for the region.

Our collection of U.S. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America records contains baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial records from more than 2,000 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations. The records range from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century.

Search our entire collection of church histories and records to find church histories, centennial books, meeting minutes, names of congregation members, and records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths.