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 a great resource as well. 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.
North Dakota Church Records
- Arndt Lutheran Birth Records
- Arndt, Towner County, Church Records
- Bisbee, Church Family Records
- Bismarck, First Presbyterian Church, Church Records, 1873-1948
- Canton City, Hensel Methodist Episcopal Church
- Church of the Brethren on the Northern Plains History
- Jud, Kirchenbuch der Ray Township Trinity Lutheran Church Records 1915-1951
- Kulm, St. Paul Lutheran Baptisms
- Kulm, St. Paul Lutheran Confirmations
- Kulm, St. Paul Lutheran Deaths
- Kulm, St. Paul Lutheran Marriages
- Mandan – St. Joseph’s Parish. History 1881-1956
- North Dakota, Guide to Church Public Records, 1941-1942
- North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Highlights Heartaches of Brethren Pioneers
- North Dakota, Pastor Records, 1843-1918
- North Dakota, Church Survey Files
- Peace (Beulah) St. John’s (Zap) Baptisms
- Peace (Beulah) St. John’s (Zap) Confirmations
- Peace (Beulah) St. John’s (Zap) Deaths
- Peace (Beulah) St. John’s (Zap) Marriages
- Peace (Beulah) St. John’s (Zap) Membership
- Pembina County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Prosper, Maple Sheyenne Lutheran Church, 1878-1953
- Traill County, Miscellaneous Church Records
- Wells County, Miscellaneous Church Records Histories
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!