Bahamas Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Cthe Bahamas, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

 * , index, incomplete. Also at Ancestry.com, index, incomplete, ($). Also at MyHeritage, index, incomplete, ($). Index to selected Bahamas births. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. This collection contains 20,672 records for the Bahamas. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
 * , index.
 * , index.
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Writing for Records
For records still in possession of a local parish, you may need to write to a priest. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address consult:
 * The Catholic Directory

Historical Background
The Catholic Church became organized in The Bahamas in the mid-19th century, and in the second part of the century American influence became even more important, so that in 1885 the islands — considered as part of the US Diocese of Charleston since 1866 — were formally included in the Archdiocese of New York. This "American connection" lasted until 1931.

According to the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia:

"Though there existed a tradition of ruins of "religious" buildings being still visible in 1803 on Cat Island (probably dating from the temporary Spanish occupation of 1781-83), there is no evidence of any Catholic priest ever having visited the Bahamas until 1845. On 13 February 1887, the first Catholic Church was dedicated under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier, by Archbishop M.A. Corrigan of New York. In October, 1889, Rev. D. P. O'Flynn came to Nassau with four Sisters of Charity who opened a free school for non-white children, and a select school. In 1893 a new mission was opened at Salvador Point, Andros Island, and in 1897, the Sacred Heart mission was opened in the eastern portion of the city of Nassau."

As of 2004, the diocese contains 30 parishes and 48,000 Catholics. Catholics make up 19% of population. Source: Wikipedia

History
Religions: Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

The English had expressed an interest in the Bahamas as early as 1629. However, it was not until 1648 that the first English settlers arrived on the islands. Known as the Eleutherian Adventurers and led by William Sayle, they migrated to Bermuda seeking greater religious freedom. These English Puritans established the first permanent European settlement on an island which they named 'Eleuthera', Greek for 'freedom'. They later settled New Providence, naming it Sayle's Island.

The islands' population is predominantly Christian. Protestant denominations collectively account for more than 70% of the population, with Baptists representing 35% of the population, Anglicans 15%, Pentecostals 8%, Church of God 5%, Seventh-day Adventists 5% and Methodists 4%. There is also a significant Roman Catholic community accounting for about 14%. There are also smaller communities of Jews, Muslims, Baha'is, Hindus, Rastafarians and practitioners of traditional African religions such as Obeah. Source: [Wikipedia]

The constitution of the Bahamas provides for the freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on belief. The country has no state religion, although the preamble to its constitution mentions "Christian values". Source: Wikipedia

Clergymen

 * Fothergill, Gerald. A List of Emigrant Ministers to America, 1690-1811. London: E. Stock, 1904. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books; Internet Archive, 1965 reprint: . Addendum published in Caribbeana, Vol. 3 (1914):312-313. Digital version at dLOC - free.


 * Anglican servants in the Caribbean, c.1610-c.1740. University of Lancaster. Identifies Anglican clergymen and career information.