Clergy members in churches, mosques, and synagogues often recorded the names and dates associated with baptisms, marriages, burials, and other ceremonies within their congregations. Religious records began before civil records in most countries. In England, parish registers predate civil registration records by almost 300 years.

Why the records are important

Religious records include registration of births, marriages, and deaths, names of witnesses and sponsors. Determining the religious affiliation of your ancestors can help you locate records and understand more about their lives. 

Here are a couple of examples of important religious records:

• Death records can list dates, places, family relationships, and a burial place. This information can lead you to cemeteries where other family members might have been buried.

• Marriage records are sometimes the best place to find maiden names and name changes. Often, they also include the names of the parents for both people. 

Identifying religious affiliation

Often, you can find someone’s religious affiliation in historic newspapers. Notices about religiously-sponsored events often named people, and obituaries sometimes included the deceased person’s religion. In society pages, engagement and wedding announcements might include clues about religious denominations. 

More tips: 

• County and local histories may list local churches, synagogues, and mosques.
• Death records such as funeral cards.
• Marriage records. Look for the name of the officiant on a marriage record. Check for that name in a city directory. The city directory listing might include the name or address of the religious institution. Compare this information with religious institutions that are listed in the city directory. 

Finding a congregation

After you identify your relative’s likely denomination, try to find their place of worship. Search historical city directories for their address, then browse the list of religious institutions to identify the closest mosque, church, or synagogue. If your relative was an immigrant, look for religious institutions related to their ethnicity or first language. 

With the card catalog, try filtering by location to find information about specific congregations, even if they disbanded long ago.

Locating religious records

If someone’s place of worship is still active, check with them for records. 

If one congregation merged with another, a yearbook or denominational directory might direct you to the new congregation. Start searching for the old records there. 

If the local institution no longer exists, the records might have been moved to a denominational archive. Search online for the denominational headquarters to locate the record collection. 

Faith changes

Most members of a family belonged to the same faith, but some people chose different religious affiliations. 

Here are some common reasons people changed religions: 

• They married into a family of a different religion
• Their preferred religion might not have had a house of worship nearby. This might be likely, for example, in rural areas that were dominated by a specific religion. 
• Local prejudices or laws may have prompted a conversion to another religion. 

Finding records on Ancestry

The card catalog includes records for baptisms, marriages, and burials, as well as church histories and directories. 
 

Search baptisms, marriages, and burials records (Search tab > Card Catalog > select Birth, Marriage & Death.)

1. Under Filter By Location, choose the geographic locations, starting with the broadest areas and narrowing down to the most local areas. 
2. Continue selecting relevant filters until you have a manageable list to explore.

Some records might be written in Latin or another language. Use an online translator to find someone’s name in that language, then use that name in your search.