Clues to Family Church Affiliation
Americans, being a mixture of national and ethnic groups, differ greatly when it comes to religion. Knowing the ethnic origins of your families will provide clues to their likely church affiliation. However, other factors must be considered when you begin to search for church records.
Where your families lived is important--and when. For example, if you have an early New England line, they probably were Congregationalists, Baptists or Quakers; if you descend from pioneers of the Middle Colonies, your families may have been Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Quaker, Presbyterian or Catholic. Possibly they were Mennonites, Amish, Moravians, Baptists, Methodists or another Christian denomination. On the other hand, if yours are Deep South roots, your ancestors may have belonged to the Church of England or Anglican, which was called Protestant Episcopal after the Revolution, or they could have been Quakers, Moravians, Baptists, Presbyterian or Methodists.
Most Colonial Dutch families belonged to the Dutch Reformed or were Anabaptists; Scandinavia and northern Germany ancestors were usually Lutheran or Reformed Lutheran. Swiss and German families from the Rhineland, Westphalia and Holstein often were Pietists, Anabaptists, Mennonites, Amish or Moravians. French ancestors may have been Catholic or Huguenots.
In those denominations that practiced infant baptism (christening) you will find the full name of the person baptized, his age or date of birth, the place of birth or christening, names of parents, places of residence and the names and relationships (sometimes) of witnesses or sponsors. Some church records do not include birth or baptism entries -- but you may find other information such as admissions, removals, certificates of membership, communicant lists, lists of ministers and disciplinary proceedings.
Some church records include marriage records. Special marriage registers were kept by many churches, but others merely listed marriage information among other entries in church books. Even if the church records do not include marriage information, careful reading of church minutes will enable you to pinpoint an approximate date if you note when Amanda Jones ceases to be mentioned and John Henderson and his wife, Amanda, are.
Church records also often include information pertaining to death, burials, funerals and memorials.
Start your search for church records in the microfilmed records of the LDS (Mormon) Family History Library. This library has the greatest single collection of church (all denominations) records in the world, and through its hundreds of branch libraries you may borrow via interlibrary these films.
Determine the likely church of your ancestors. Next, study the history of the particular locality where they lived. Determine which churches existed at that time. Most local histories will include information about the early churches with formation dates of churches in that town or county.
Once you have this information, consult the Locality microfiche at the LDS Family History Libraries. Check under both “State/Churches” and “State/County/Churches.”