The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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Another underutilized genealogy resource is Church Records. We tend to focus our research on civil records but need to be aware that often church records pre-date civil records and are also a great resource. In the BMD Records section of this website, about 15,000 collections of civil records are available online. Yes, that’s a lot, but we also need to search church records.
What can we find in church or synagogue records? Here’s just a short list of what nuggets we can find:
- Baptisms and Christenings
- Marriages
- Deaths
- Burials
- Confirmations
- Membership lists
- Church Minutes
- Church Directories
- Transfer Letters
- Bar or Bat Mitzvahs
- Sunday School lists
- Church newsletters
In addition, many folks also documented important events in family bibles, so they need to be searched as well if the event information has been digitized.
Here are a couple of articles that you might find useful:
- U.S. Church Records Research Guide
- United States Church Records
- A Genealogist’s Guide to Using Catholic Records in Genealogy Research
There is a large number of Free Online Church Record collections; the links for the state are below:
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Alabama Church Records
- Alabama Episcopal Church Registers
- Alabama, Baptist Church Records, 1840-1949,
- Alabama, Baptist Churches, Church Records, 1847-1969
- Alabama, Church Records, 1831-1994
- Alabama, Circuit, Methodist Episcopal Churches, Church Records, 1836-1919
- Alabama, WPA Inventory of Church Archives, 1936-1940
- Alabama, Baptist Churches, Church Records, 1810-1953
- Alabama, Baptist Churches, Church Records, 1817-1969
- Alabama, Baptist Churches, Church Records, 1825-1979
- Alabama, Baptist Churches, Church Records, 1837-1969
- Alabama, Circuit, Methodist Episcopal Churches, Church Records, 1836-1928
- Bethany Baptist Church, Burnt Corn, Church Minutes, 1821-1956
- Bethlehem Baptist Association Annual Sessions, 1896
- Bibb County, Antioch Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1833-1893
- Birmingham, Oak Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1885-1908
- Blount County, Ramah Baptist Church, Records, 1908
- Broomtown, Cherokee County, Extracts of Mt. Bethel Baptist Church Minutes 1874-1889
- Calhoun County, New Hopewell Baptist Church, Sesqui-centennial Celebration, History, 1832-1982
- Chambers County Church Records
- Chambers County, Antioch Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1835-1951
- Cherokee County, Bethel Baptist Church, Church Records, 1867-1892
- Danville, Danville Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1884-1958
- Decatur, Central Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1892-1959
- Decatur, Fifth Avenue Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1956-1960
- Decatur, Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1896-1960
- East Gadsden, East Gadsden Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1912-1926
- Falkville, Falkville Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1887-1955
- Falkville, Lebanon Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1951-1960
- Fayette County Church Records
- Fayette County Church Records
- Florence, First Baptist Church, Church Records, 1907-1946
- Forney, Bethel Baptist Church of Forney Church Records
- Gadsden, Gadsden First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1914-1928
- Greene County, Hebron Presbyterian Church Sessional Records 1867-1905
- Greene County, Newbern Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1848-1959
- Hartselle, First Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1883-1960
- Hartselle, Hopewell Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1895-1959
- Huntsville, Enon Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1809-1861
- Langston, Langston Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1918-1934
- Lowndes County, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1844-1856
- Macon County, Society Hill Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1839-1899
- Madison County, Flint River Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1808-1866
- Marengo County, Springhill Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1833-1877
- Marion County Church Records
- Methodist Episcopal Church Records, Church Records, 1830-1934
- Methodist Episcopal Church South, Kahl Montgomery, History, Church Records and Sunday School Records
- Methodist Episcopal Church, Church Records, 1832-1920
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Church Records, 1853-1906
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, Church Records, 1827-1980
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1759-1977
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1806-1950
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1818-1963
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1845-1908
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1859-1910
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1867-1940
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1877-1927
- Methodist Episcopal Churches, South, Church Records, 1883-1925
- Mobile County, Methodist Church Records Index, 1871-1888
- Mobile, Methodist District Conference Records, ca. 1875-1893
- Mobile, Catholic Church, Notre-Dame-du Fort Condé dé la Mobile Parish Registers, 1704-1764 (excerpts)
- Mobile, Government Street Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1831-1982
- Mobile, Trinity Episcopal Church, Church Records, 1845-1994
- Montevallo, Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1856-1939
- Montgomery, Dexter Avenue United Methodist Church, Church Records, 1888-1979
- Montgomery, Miscellaneous Church Records, 1807-1947
- Montgomery, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Church Records, 1848-1990
- Morgan County, Bethel Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1884-1933
- Morgan County, Lebanon Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1850-1896
- Morgan County, Mt. View Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1952-1959
- Morgan County, Mt. Zion Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1853-1959
- Morgan County, Rock Creek Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1867-1960
- Morgan County, Shady Grove Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1921-1960
- New Hope, Walnut Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1886-1937
- New Lexington, Tuscaloosa County, Salem Baptist Church, Records 1824-1895
- Perry County, Ocumulgee Baptist Church, Church Minutes and Membership List, 1820-1948
- Pickens County Church Records
- Presbyterian Churches, Church Records, 1823-1972
- Presbyterian Churches, Church Records, 1825-1897
- Presbyterian Churches, Church Records, 1834-1911
- Primitive Baptist Churches in Alabama, 1805-1935
- Primitive Baptist Churches in Alabama, 1822, 1834-1962
- Princeton, Holly Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1850-1962
- Shorter, New Cubahatchie Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1850-1864
- Somerville, Somerville Baptist Church Minutes of Meetings and Lists of Members, 1887-1895, 1932-1935
- St. John’s Church Records, Cullman, Alabama: 1874-1900, Translated from German
- Stevenson, Edgefield Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1882-1925
- Thomasville, Midway Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1885-1927
- Tuskegee, Baptist Church, Church Record Book, 1852-1874
- Tuskegee, History of Tuskegee Baptist Church
- Vance, Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1872-1956
- Walker County Church Records
- Wilcox County, Mt. Moriah Fellowship Baptist Church, Church Minutes, 1828-1909
- Winston County, Miscellaneous Bible and Church Records
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!