A sampling of the resources available for some common and historically important church groups:
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Dennis Dickerson, Historiographer
Box 301, Williamstown, MA 01267
(413) 597-2484
www.ame-church.com
Baptist
American Baptist Historical Society
Box 851
Valley Forge, PA 19482
(610) 768-2378
www.abhsarchives.org
Canadian Baptist Archives
McMaster Divinity College
1280 Main St. W.
Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1
Canada
(905) 525-9140 Ext. 23511
www.mcmaster.ca/divinity/archives.html
Samuel Colgate Historical Library
(American Baptist)
1106 S. Goodman St.
Rochester, NY 14620
(716) 473-1740
www.crds.edu/abhs
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archive
901 Commerce St.
Suite 400
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 244-0344
www.sbhla.org
Church of Christ, Scientist
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Christian Science Plaza
175 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 450-2000
www.themotherchurch.org
Church of the Brethren
Brethren Historical Library and Archives
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 742-5100
www.cob-net.org/fobg/library.htm
Congregational
Congregational Library
14 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 523-0470
www.14beacon.org
Disciples of Christ (Christian Church)
Disciples of Christ Historical Society
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 327-1444
users.aol.com/dishistso
Episcopal Church
Archives of the Episcopal Church
606 Rathervue Place
Box 2247
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 472-6816
www.episcopalarchives.org
Free Will Baptist
National Association of Free Will Baptists
Box 5002
Antioch, TN 37011
(615) 731-6812
www.nafwb.org
Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
8 E. 79th St.
New York, NY 10021
(212) 570-3500
www.goarch.org
Huguenot
Huguenot Historical Society
Box 339
New Paltz, NY 12561
www.hhs-newpaltz.net
National Huguenot Society
9033 Lyndale Ave. S. #108
Bloomington, MN 55420
(952) 885-9776
www.huguenot.netnation.com/general
Jewish
American Jewish Archives
3101 Clifton Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45220
(513) 221-1875
American Jewish Historical Society Library
Hebrew College
160 Herrick Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459
(617) 891-8110
www.ajhs.org
Avotaynu
Center for Jewish History
15 W. 16th St.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 294-8301
www.cjh.org/archives
JewishGen
Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple St.
Salt Lake City, UT84150
(801) 240-2364
www.familysearch.org
Lutheran
Concordia Historical Institute
(Missouri Synod)
801 De Mun Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63105
(314) 505-7900
chi.lcms.org
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Archives
321 Bonnie Lane
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(847) 690-9410
www.elca.org/os/archives (Records of disbanded US ELCA churches are here and in regional archives www.elca.org/os/archives/regsyn.html.)
Lutherans Online Genealogy Exchange
www.thrivent.com/lutheransonline/genealogy
Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center
Augustana College
639 38th St.
Rock Island, IL 61201
(309) 794-7204
www.augustana.edu/administration/swenson (Also has microfilmed records of Swedish Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free Church and Swedish-American Methodist congregations.)
Mennonite
Archives of the Mennonite Church
Goshen College
1700 S. Main St.
Goshen, IN 46526
www.goshen.edu/mcarchives
Menno Simons Historical Library
1200 Park Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
(540) 432-4175
www.emu.edu/library/histlib.html
Pennsylvania and Mennonite Research Center
www.ristenbatt.com/genealogy/mennonit.htm
Methodist
Drew University United Methodist Archives Center
Drew University
Madison, NJ 07940
(973) 408-3590
www.depts.drew.edu/lib/uma.html
General Commission on Archives and History
Box 127
36 Madison Ave.
Madison, NJ 07940
(201) 408-3189
www.gcah.org
Researching Your United Methodist Ancestors
Moravian
Moravian Archives (North)
41 W. Locust St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018
(610) 866-3255
www.moravianchurcharchives.org
Moravian Archives (South)
4 E. Bank St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 722-1742
www.moravianarchives.org
Moravian Church Genealogy Links
Presbyterian
Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Presbyterian Church by Robert Benedetto (Greenwood Press)
Presbyterian Historical Society (North)
425 Lombard St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 627-1852
history.pcusa.org/about/phila.html
Presbyterian Historical Society (South)
Box 849
318 Georgia Terrace
Montreat, NC 28757
(704) 669-7061
history.pcusa.org/about/montreat.html
Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America Archives
21 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.rca.org/aboutus/archives
Roman Catholic
Most records are kept in individual parishes or in diocesan offices.
American Catholic Historical Society
263 S. Fourth St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(856) 424-4728
www.amchs.org
Catholic Internet Directory
CatholicLink.org: Archives, Libraries
www.catholiclinks.org/archivescatholiclinks.htm
Holy Cross Provincial Archives
Box 568
South Bend, IN 46556
(219) 631-5371
Keeps some older North American church records.
Local Catholic Church History and Genealogy Research Guide
Books and Publications
The Official Catholic Directory (P.J. Kenedy & Sons)
Published annually since 1817; see www.catholicdir.com.
US Catholic Sources: A Diocesan Research Guide by Virginia Humling (Ancestry)
Seventh-Day Adventist
Adventist Heritage Center
James White Library
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Ml 49104
(269) 471-3274
www.andrews.edu/library/ahc
Seventh-Day Adventist General Conference Archives
6840 Eastern Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20012
www.adventistarchives.org
Shakers
Shaker Heritage Society
1848 Shaker Meeting House, 875 Watervliet Shaker Road, Suite 2, Albany, NY 12211, (518) 456-7890, <www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/shakerwv>
Society of Friends (Quakers)
Friends Historical Library
(Hicksite records)
Swarthmore College
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081
(610) 328-8496
www.swarthmore.edu/library/friends
Magill Historical Library
(Orthodox records)
Haverford College
Haverford, PA 19041
(610) 896-1175
www.haverford.edu/library/sc/special
The Quaker Corner
Books and Publications
Monthly Meetings in North America: An Index, 2nd edition, edited by Thomas C. Hill (self-published)
Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, six volumes, edited by William Wade Hinshaw (Edwards Bros.)
Unitarian Universalist
Harvard Divinity School
Andover-Harvard Theological Library
45 Francis Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
www.hds.harvard.edu/library
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-2100
www.uua.org
United Church of Christ
Includes the Evangelical and German Reformed churches and some Congregational churches.
Eden Archives
475 E. Lockwood Ave.
Webster Grove, MO 63119
www.eden.edu/archives/edenarch.html
Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society and Archives
555 W. James St.
Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 290-8711
www.erhs.info
UCC Historical Agencies
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 736-2106
www.ucc.org/aboutus/archives
Church Records Websites
- Cyndi’s List — Religion
- Locating Church Records
- Religious Organizations
- RootsWeb’s Guide to Tracing Family Trees: Church Records
- UNESCO Archives Portal
Church Records Books
Look for these reference books at your library or local Family History Center:
- The Encyclopedia of American Religions, 7th edition, edited by John Gordon Melton (Gale Research)
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, 11th edition, by Frank S. Mead, revised by Samuel S. Hill (Abingdon Press)
- A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada by Mark A. Noll (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
- National Directory of Churches, Synagogues, and Other Houses of Worship, four volumes, by John Gordon Melton (Gale Research)
- New Historical Atlas of Religions in America by Edwin S. Gaustad (Oxford University Press)
- Searching American Church Records by Fran Carter (American Genealogical Lending Library)
- Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches edited by Eileen W. Lindner (Abingdon Press): Published annually since 1916.
A version of this article appeared in the February 2004 issue of Family Tree Magazine.
