New York, Frank S. Rowland Church Register - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains the private church register of Frank S. Rowland, who was a Methodist minister in New York from 1887-1904, in Michigan from 1909-1915, and Minnesota from 1915-1917.

This register is divided into sections for marriages, funerals, and perquisites. In each of these three separate sections, records are arranged chronologically. Rev. Rowland records these marriages and funerals in eight areas. Keep in mind that marriages and funerals are kept in two different listings.


 * Marriages begin in 1889 on page 2, image 1
 * Funerals begin in 1887 on page 150, image 64
 * Perquisites are contained on page 300, image 96
 * Blank pages were excluded from the collection

While the marriages and funerals are useful for those doing their family history, the perquisites show how Rev. Rowland was paid for miscellaneous ministerial services.

The list below indicates the years and churches included in the Reverend Frank S. Rowland's 30 year ministry:


 * 1) Hartsville Methodist Episcopal Church, Hartsville, New York. (1887-1888, funerals only)
 * 2) East Avenue Methodist Church, Hornellsville, New York. (1889-1891)
 * 3) Glenwood (now Grace) Methodist Episcopal Church, Rochester, New York. (1891-1896)
 * 4) Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York. (1896-1903)
 * 5) First Methodist Episcopal Church, Olean, New York. (1903-1904)
 * 6) Asbury Church, Rochester, New York. (1904-1909)
 * 7) Cass Methodist Church, Detroit, Michigan. (1909-1915)
 * 8) Central Methodist Church, Winona, Minnesota. (1915-1917)

Citation for This Collection
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Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content


Key genealogical facts found in this collection usually include the following information, as well as any fee that Rev. Rowland charged at the time:

Marriages


 * Date and Place of Marriage
 * Name of groom
 * Maiden name of bride
 * Age at marriage
 * Residence at the time of marriage
 * Names of witnesses

There is one NY State Department of Health marriage report stub remaining between the pages. (image 5)

Funerals


 * Date
 * Name of deceased
 * Age
 * Place
 * Remarks

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Name
 * Date of the event
 * Place of the event

Search the Collection
Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

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Using the Information
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 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * The information in marriage records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Check for an different index. There are often indexes at the beginning or end of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites
Steuben County, New York US GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles
New York Church Records

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Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clemtina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata.