Cameroon Church Records

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

Church records
Research use: Church records are a primary source of birth, marriage, and death information in Cameroon. They identify names of parents, prove other relationships, and are very useful for linking generations.

Record type: Records of births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Time period: Approximately 1850 to present.

Contents: Baptisms – name of individual, date of birth and baptism, names of parents. Marriages – name of couple, date and place of marriage. Burials – name of the deceased, date and place of death and burial, age at time of death.

Location: National Archives in Yaoundé, diocesan archives, and local churches.

Population coverage: Estimated from 60 to 90% of the French and British, where the record is extant; 20-35% of the indigenous inhabitants.