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, there are about 15,000 collections of civil records that are available online. Yes, that’s a lot, but we need to also search church records as well.
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.
Alaska Church Records
- Alaska, Index to Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths in the Archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska 1867-1889
- Alaska, Index to Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths in the Archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, 1900-1936
- Alaska, Index to Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths in the Archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, 1890-1899
- Alaska, Russian Orthodox Church of America. Diocese of Alaska, Church Records, 1845-1917
- Cook Inlet Deaths Copied from Greek Church Records, 1867-1912
- Douglas, Nunivak, Friends Mission Church Records, 1895-1962
- Fort Yukon, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Birth Records, 1899-1970
- Holy Cross, Holy Cross Missions Records, 1887-1953
- Kuskowim Bay, Moravian Church, Records, 1900-1980
- Metlakatla, Metlakatla Presbyterian Church Records, 1885-1918
- Nome, Methodist Church Records, 1915-1961
- Point Hope, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Records, 1891-1965
- Russian Orthodox Church. Afognak Parish Registers, 1896-1914
- Russian Orthodox Church. Atka Parish Registers, 1828-1898
- Russian Orthodox Church. Belkofski Parish Registers, 1875-1916
- Russian Orthodox Church. Ikogmiut Parish Registers, 1845-1936
- Russian Orthodox Church. Juneau Parish Registers, 1894-1918
- Russian Orthodox Church. Kenai Parish Registers, 1845-1933
- Russian Orthodox Church. Killisnoo Parish Registers, 1892-1917
- Russian Orthodox Church. Kodiak Parish Registers, 1826-1918
- Russian Orthodox Church. Kuskokwim Parish Registers, 1895-1917
- Russian Orthodox Church. Nuchek Parish Registers, 1894-1907
- Russian Orthodox Church. Nushagak Parish Registers, 1842-1931
- Russian Orthodox Church. Sitka Parish Registers, 1816-1917
- Russian Orthodox Church. St. George Parish Registers, 1877-1931
- Russian Orthodox Church. St. Michael Parish Registers, 1894-1904
- Russian Orthodox Church. St. Paul Parish Registers, 1842-1923
- Russian Orthodox Church. Unalaska Parish Registers, 1824-1913
- Sitka, Episcopal Church, Birth Records, 1872-1914
- Sitka, Evangelical Lutheran Church. Russian-American Colony Metrical Books, 1857-1863
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!