South Dakota Church Records

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Historical Background
Before 1900, the largest religious groups in South Dakota were the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, and Congregational churches.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch

 * 1875-1993 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images, incomplete

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 - U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 - U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * Germans from Russia parish register collection

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 - U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quakers

 * Quaker records : Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota Monthly Meetings, e-book.

Other Collections

 * The Ancestor Hunt: Free South Dakota Online Church Records

Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * 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 United States, South Dakota.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, South Dakota and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, South Dakota [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. 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.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Guide to the archives of the Episcopal church in South Dakota

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available. Also, see Church Angel Address List for a comprehensive list of South Dakota churches.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Mikkelsen Library
Mikkelsen Library, Augustana University 2001 S. Summit Avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57197 Ph. 605.274.4921 Fax 605.274.5447
 * Search

Lutheran
ELCA Region3 Archives 2481 Como Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55108-1496 Phone: (651) 641-3205 E-mail:pdaniels@luthersem.edu
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Odessa3.org - This site contains German-Russian emigrant ancestry in pocket settlements in mid-west states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Contains transcribed minutes of meetings, membership lists (some with parentage listed), birth, deaths, and marriages.]

Methodist
Archives and History Library Dakotas Conference United Methodist Church McGovern Library 1200 W. University Ave. Mitchell, SD 57301-4398 E-mail: Laurie.Langland@DWU.edu Phone: 605-995-2134 Fax: 605-995-2893
 * Information and Research Services

Episcopal
The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota 500 South Main Avenue Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104-6814 Phone: (605) 338-9751 Fax: (605) 336-6243
 * Episcopal archives only keep records for closed churches. For all open churches, '''contact the parish.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH, DIOCESE OF SOUTH DAKOTA ARCHIVES Raynor Memorial Libraries 1355 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53233 Information Desk: (414) 288-7556
 * Episcopal Church sacramental registers from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota
 * EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SOUTH DAKOTA Archives, 1862- . 286 cu. ft. Finding Aid

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Rapid City 606 Cathedral Drive Rapid City, SD 57709 Phone: (605) 343-3541
 * Archives
 * "So far, all parishes within our diocese of Rapid City’s sacramental record books have been scanned, cumulating a 5+ year diocesan wide project. This backup of sacramental records is paramount for security in case of a disaster such as flood or fire, in which some of our parishes have found a total loss to their records. Our archives space is very limited, yet we do our very best to accommodate all research requests for those seeking their sacramental records or genealogical research."

The diocese includes the counties of: Bennett, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Gregory, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Jones, Lawrence, Lyman, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Perkins, Shannon, Stanley, Todd, Tripp and Ziebach
 * Also, the local parish will have details about existing records and their location: Parish Finder

Diocese of Sioux Falls 523 N. Duluth Ave. Sioux Falls, SD 57105 Phone: (605) 334-9861
 * Archives
 * Archives instructions are to contact the local parish for research requests: Parish Directory
 * Sacramental Records Locations includes locations of records for both active and closed parishes.

The diocese includes the counties of: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Sully, Turner Union, Walworth and Yankton

A dissertation about the history of the Catholic Church is Mary Claudia Duratschek, The Beginnings of Catholicism in South Dakota (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1943; and

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of South Dakota Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.