Q. Can Church Records help with my family history?
A. The answer is of course, Yes.
Church records can often be used as a substitute for governmental vital
records. The most common church records
used in genealogy are those for baptisms, marriages, and burials. Other church records can help pinpoint our
ancestor in a time and place, such as membership lists and confirmation
records.
The first place to start is by determining the church that your
ancestor attended. This may be a religious
denomination still maintained by family members. Some churches were attended by specific
immigrant groups. Sometimes the denomination
was determined by which church was nearby and easily accessible. County or Family histories may tell the
religion of your ancestor. The
governmental marriage record may list the minister who performed the ceremony,
or your ancestor may be buried in a church graveyard. An obituary may provide a clue to the church
they attended as well.
Once you think you know the church they attended, there are
several options to finding the records.
If the church is still in existence, you can contact them directly. There may be a regional or national office
for that denomination where the records have been stored. Some records, or transcriptions, may be at
the local genealogical library or historical society. Some church records may be online at a site
such as FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com, or found through an internet search.
Although locating church records for your ancestor may be
challenging, it is often worth the effort.
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Note: This was originally published in the "Tips from the Genealogy Committee" column in the Illinois State Genealogical Society Newsletter (July 2021). While these tips were written for those researching Illinois ancestors, many of the principles can be applied to other locations.
