Guam Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Guam, go to the Religious Records page. =Historical Background= The most common religion is the Catholic Church. According to the Pew Research Center, the religious denominations constitute the following, in 2010: Roman Catholicism: 75%, Protestantism: 17.7%.

Over 85 percent of Guam's population is Roman Catholic. The island is home to over two dozen Catholic churches, including one in each of Guam's 19 villages. Some of these churches are excellent examples of the Spanish-influenced architecture seen around Guam.

Guam also has at least seven Baptist churches, including in the villages of Agana Heights, Upper Tumon, Tamuning, Dededo, Barrigada, Chalan Pago, and Mongmong.

There are multiple Episcopal and Bahai'i houses of worship on the island, as well as Presbyterian, Filipino Christian, Nazarene, Lutheran, and nondenominational churches. Guam's religious population also includes Jehovah's Witnesses.

=Information Recorded in the Records= Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario);

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:
 * baptism date
 * the infant's name,
 * parents' names,
 * father's occupation,
 * status of legitimacy,
 * occasionally, names of grandparents,
 * names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives,
 * birth date and place,
 * the family's place of residence,
 * death information, as an added note or signified by a cross.

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:
 * the marriage date and
 * the names of the bride and groom,
 * indicate whether they were single or widowed and
 * their ages,
 * their birth dates and places
 * residences,
 * occupations,
 * birthplaces, and
 * parents' names (after 1800)
 * the names of previous spouses and their death dates,
 * names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials
Burial registers may give: =How to Find Records=
 * the name of the deceased and
 * the date and place of death or burial.
 * the deceased's age,
 * place of residence, and
 * cause of death
 * the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower,
 * deceased's birth date and place and
 * parents' names

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Guam.
 * b. Click on Places within Guam and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.


 * For a list of churches with links to their websites, see '''Google search results for "Churches in Guam"

= Catholic Records =

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Guam

Historical Background
Catholicism on the island was a product of centuries of Spanish colonial control as the island was part of the Spanish East Indies until 1898, when the United States acquired it after the Spanish–American War. The first Catholic church was established on Guam on June 15, 1668 by Spanish-Filipino colonizers Diego Luis de San Vitores and Pedro Calungsod.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church which comprises the United States dependency of Guam.

=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records=

Online Records
Information is available to current members only for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
Members have been in Guam since the 1940s. The first Church members on Guam probably came as members of the armed forces during World War II. Guam branches (a small congregation) of from 50 to 300 servicemen began functioning in 1944, acting under the Far East Mission. In 1945, four groups were organized on the island.

In 1951, fund-raising events by the members raised enough money to purchase land and two Quonset huts, which they used for a chapel and classrooms. The facilities were dedicated in 1953 and Guam became a dependent branch of the Oahu Hawaii Stake (diocese).

Missionaries arrived in August 1957. As members increased, land for another meetinghouse was purchased. A new meetinghouse in Barrigada was dedicated 10 March 1970, and the Guam Branch became a ward (a large congregation).

The Micronesia Guam Mission was created April 1, 1980. In June, the Guam District was created with four branches.

=References=