Local Jurisdictions

Baptism, christening, marriage, death, and burial records make excellent substitutes for non-existing vital records. Religious records always predate birth, marriage and death records, especially marriage records. Their importance cannot be over-emphasized in places like Pennsylvania and New York where marriage records were not legislated until the mid-1880's, or South Carolina where they began in 1911. Other types of religious records include marriage banns, annulments, accounts (contribution lists), disciplinary actions, communicant and membership lists, and removal entries.

Jewish religious records include naming ceremonies, circumcisions and marriage rites, as well as bar and bat mitzvah activities. American synagogues have preserved some Hebrew school records. Religious records can contain a person's name, date and place of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial, spouse's name, occupation, age, residence, parents' names, childrens' names and ages, and other information useful to genealogists. Entries in religious registers vary according to time, place, event, and religion, but no one will deny the fact that some entries contain a wealth of family information and some interesting surprises about an ancestor's life. You should always try to determine ancestors' religious affiliations and the name of the churches they attended wherever they lived. Religious records can be used to document relationships and discover an immigrant ancestor's origins.

Generally, persons in authority at individual churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places have been responsible for creating and maintaining religious records in the United States. How long these records remained in local religious offices or places of worship has been determined by each denomination. Some old records have been transferred to a religious archive or a regional diocese, but many are housed at the local parish level.

Many religious records have been microfilmed and can be found at libraries and archives throughout the country. The largest collection of religious records from all over the world can be found at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Researchers can request microfilm copies of those records for use at LDS Family History Centers.

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