church records

Use church records in ancestry and genealogy immigration research.

The following are records and resources that genealogists find extremely helpful and full of clues to find immigrant ancestors. The information is designed to provide a quick reference and direction of finding and searching for records as probable places to find information.

Using Church Records to Trace Immigrant Ancestors
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American church records are often overlooked, yet they provide essential information for an individual’s origins. Immigrants were religiously devout and connected closely with one another through the church. The American churches, called “ethnic” churches, catered to a specific ethnic group (Germans, Irish, and Norwegian). The two most common immigrant churches were the Roman Catholic and the Lutherans. The Roman Catholic church is mainly found in the larger cities such as New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Detroit, serving the ethnic communities of the Germans, Italians, Irish, Poles, French and others. Lutheran churches are usually found in rural areas serving the Germans and Scandinavians. For both of these denominations, the minister was trained in the old world, and they often held services in the native language of the congregation.

Like the churches in the old world, detailed records of parishioners’ sacraments—such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and burials—usually contain important information about the people. These records are usually written in the native language.

When you search church records, look for records of the entire family and their relatives. Your chances of finding places of birth will vary depending upon the recordkeeping of the church. As a general rule, the more immigrants a church serves, the more information you’ll get about the individuals, such as birthplace in the country of origin.

In order of priority, the following are the American immigrant church records that are most likely to have the immigrant’s birthplace mentioned:

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Burial Church Records 

Immigrants often chose a church burial, as that is how it was done in the old country, and thus their burial records will be found in the local church records. From these records, you can learn the following:

  • Individual’s death date and place
  • Individual’s last residence
  • Date (or at least year) of birth
  • Name or surviving relative
  • Maiden name of a woman
  • Cemetery of burial for further research or visit
  • Date for obituary or death notice search

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Wedding Church Records 

If you can find a public record of an individual’s marriage, you will note who performed the marriage. If you see the title of the officiator listed as Pastor, Reverend, Father, or any other as minister of the gospel, the individual probably had a church wedding. You can determine which church the individual belonged to and search for records there. From these records, you can learn the following:

  • Individuals’ marriage date and place
  • Individuals’ place(s) of residence
  • Year of birth for the bride and groom
  • Previous marriages
  • Groom’s occupation
  • Clues to family relationships (through names of witnesses and so on)
  • Names of the preceding generation
  • Ascribe children to appropriate marriage if a parent has married more than once
  • Other possible religious affiliations
  • The handwriting of the individual
  • Period for the death of the first spouse in the case of the widow(er) remarrying
  • Other family connections through dispensation remarks

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Confirmation Church Records 

Most church records list those confirmed on a specific day, and you might find information such as their birth dates, parents’ names, and place of birth on rare occasions. The available information will be different for each religion.

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Minutes or Communicant Lists Church Records 

These records can help reconstruct an individual’s and family history, what they were like and how they worshiped in the church community. If you don’t see a person’s information, there is a good chance they have left the community or have passed away. Make sure you check death records.

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Baptism Church Records 

Since baptisms were usually recorded in America, they do not provide information about their origin. From these records, you can learn the following:

  • Individual’s birth date
  • Names of the preceding generation
  •  Family’s place of residence
  • Clues to family relationships (such as through names of sponsors)
  • Previously unknown children who died young
  • Parental association in the case of multiple marriages by one of the parents, to determine which one a particular child came from
  • Changes in church affiliation

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Where to Find Archives for Major US Religious Denominations

The following are locations for finding the archives of various U.S. religious denominations:

  • Adventists—Washington, DC
  • American Baptists—Rochester, NY
  • Southern Baptists—Nashville, TN
  • Brethren in Christ Church—Grantham, PA
  • Church of Christ, Scientist—Boston, MA
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)—Salt Lake City, UT
  • Churches of Christ—Memphis, TN
  • Congregational—Boston, MA
  • Disciples of Christ—Nashville, TN
  • Greek Orthodox—New York, NY
  • Jewish—Cincinnati, OH; Waltham, MA
  • Evangelical Lutherans—Chicago, IL
  • Missouri Synod Lutherans—St. Louis, MO
  • United Methodists—Madison, NJ
  • Pentecostal—Tulsa, OK
  • Presbyterians—Philadelphia, PA; Montreat, NC
  • Episcopalian—check local parishes
  • Reformed Church—New Brunswick, NJ
  • Roman Catholic—Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN; Catholic University, Washington, DC
  • Quakers (Society of Friends)—Swarthmore, PA, for Hicksite records; Haverford, PA, for Orthodox records
  • United Church of Christ—Boston, MA; Lancaster, PA
  • Unitarian and Universalist—Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA

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Starting Points for Further Research

Start with the local congregation. Clergy and other may know about the early records and where they are stored. Sometimes I have found they also know about descendants of your family that still attend that church. Often the records are no longer stored at the local church. The diocese has collected many Catholic records, and Lutheran records may be in synodical archives. If you cannot find the local church or no longer exist, turn to the appropriate diocese or synod. The effort to find the records will be worth your time.

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Other Resources to Help Trace Immigrant Ancestors

Are you developing a family history for an individual or family? Are you trying to find their immigrant origins? Start by seeing the articles

The following videos can help you get a head start in understanding immigration and country of origin ancestor research.

 

How to Find the Origin of Immigrants Coming to America
An introduction to immigration and migration historical research. You will be introduced to a five-step methodology to find the immigrant origins when conducting individual and family history research.

Addition videos include:

The following are records I have found extremely helpful and full of clues to finding an individual’s birthplace and immigrant origins. It is designed to provide a quick reference and direction of finding and searching for records as probable places to find information. You can use these records to develop an immigrant paper trail to assist you in finding and tracing an individual immigrant’s origins. Check out these articles:

Records for Tracing Immigrant Ancestors
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records 
Colonial Town Records Historical and Genealogical Societies Histories and Biographies
Land Grant Records Maps and Gazetteers Naturalization Record
Obituaries Passport Applications Ship Passenger Lists
Social Security Applications Social Security Death Index

Check out the following country profiles to learn more about their immigration and migration in America.

Immigration and Migration in America
Czechs and Slovaks Danish Dutch
English Finnish French
German Greek Hungarian
Icelandic Irish Italian
Norwegian Polish Russian
Scandinavian Scottish Swedish
Welch United States Western Migration

Articles include:

Learn more about immigrant records at “Immigrant Records at the National Archives.”

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