Michigan, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
This collection has many records which are indexed, however there are some that are not. To help you find those there are links to the FamilySearch Catalog where you can find these extra images.

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains church records from various denominations in Michigan for the years 1819 to 1991. The record content and time period varies by denomination and locality. Additional records may be viewed by clicking the Family History link and then clicking on the camera.

The churches represented include: and
 * St. John Evangelical Lutheran (Detroit)  FamilySearch Catalog
 * North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church (Detroit) History Library Catalog FamilySearch Catalog
 * Second Congregational Church (Detroit) FamilySearch Catalog
 * St. James Episcopal Church (Birmingham) FamilySearch Catalog
 * St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Jackson) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Holton Evangelical Lutheran Church (Holton) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Immanuel Lutheran Church (Ida)FamilySearch Catalog
 * Trinity Episcopal Church (Monroe) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Bethany Lutheran Church (Ishpeming) FamilySearch Catalog Church register contains information on memberships' places of nativity and dates of arrival to the United States
 * Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (Whiteford Center) FamilySearch Catalog
 * First Congregational Church (Wyandotte) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (various locations) FamilySearch Catalog
 * First Congragational Church (Augusta) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Ingham County, Michigan, marriages (Daughters of the American Revolution) FamilySearch Catalog

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Church records may include:
 * The names of individuals
 * Dates of birth, christening, marriage, and death
 * Names of witnesses to events
 * The officiator
 * Names of parents or other relatives

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The approximate date and or location of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Search for county and state vital records such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Michigan.
 * Michigan Guided Research
 * Michigan Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * copied by Mrs. Henry P. Strong, Mrs. John P. Everett. Births, liber 1 beginning page 44, recorded 1868, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
 * Detroit. North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church Clerk's book, 1890-1909
 * Detroit. North Woodward Avenue Congregational Church records, 1902-1917
 * Wyandotte. First Congregational Church records, 1900-1921
 * Detroit. Second Congregational Church records, 1864-1909
 * prepared by the Research Department of the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Records of the First Congregational Church of Augusta, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1849-1918.
 * Gaylord. Elmira. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Church records, 1873-1920
 * Edgetts. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Church Records, 1898-1918
 * Elm Flat Branch. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Membership records, 1907-1919
 * Detroit. St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, 1879-1949
 * Ida. Immanuel Lutheran Church Records, 1862-1945
 * Ishpemig. Bethany Lutheran Church records, 1871-1927
 * Whiteford Center. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church records, 1861-1941
 * Holton. Evangelical Lutheran Church records, 1869-1991
 * Jackson. St. Paul's Episcopal Church records, 1835-1949
 * Birmingham. St. James Episcopal Church records, 1904-1927
 * D.A.R. Ingham County, Michigan, marriages, 1838-1867
 * Monroe. Trinity Episcopal Church, Parish Register, 1831-1950
 * copied from the original record by Lila Colby ; and typed by Gertrude Pierce. Springport, Jackson County family records, author probably Edward S. Saxton.

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Michigan Church Marriages, 1865-1931

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Historical Records Survey - Inventory of Church Archives of Michigan
 * Presbyterian Church in U.S.A., Presbytery of Flint. Detroit, Michigan: Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1941
 * Presbyterian Church in U.S.A., Presbytery of Detroit.' Detroit, Michigan: Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * synagogue archives of Michigan, Jewish bodies. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * Calendar of the Baptist collection of Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * African Methodist Episcopal Church, Michigan Conference. Detroit, Michigan : The Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * Church of the Nazarene, Michigan District Assembly. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1942
 * Churches of God, Michigan Assemblies. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1941
 * Evangelical and Reformed Church Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1941
 * Evangelical Church, Michigan Conference. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1941
 * Pilgrim Holiness Church, Michigan District. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1942
 * Protestant Episcopal bodies, diocese of Michigan. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * Protestant Episcopal Church, diocese of Michigan. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * Protestant Episcopal Church, diocese of northern Michigan. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1940
 * Salvation Army in Michigan. Detroit, Michigan : Michigan Historical Records Survey Project, 1942

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.