Baptist Church in the United States

United States   Church Records   Baptist Church Records

History in the United States

 * In 2010, 100 million Christians identify themselves as Baptist or belong to Baptist-type churches. In 2017, the Baptist World Alliance has 47 million people. Not all Baptist groups cooperate with the Alliance, notably the Southern Baptist Convention (which actually participated in its founding) does not cooperate with the Alliance, having withdrawn in 2004.


 * Both Roger Williams and John Clarke, his compatriot and coworker for religious freedom, are variously credited as founding the earliest Baptist church in North America. In 1639, Williams established a Baptist church in Providence, Rhode Island, and Clarke began a Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island.


 * The Great Awakening energized the Baptist movement, and the Baptist community experienced spectacular growth. Baptists became the largest Christian community in many southern states, including among the black population. The Baptist religion became the largest Protestant denomination in the United States by the early 1800's, when many Baptist churches were organized throughout the middle-Atlantic and southern states.


 * In May 1845, the Baptist congregations in the United States split over slavery and missions. The Southern Baptist Convention was formed by nine state conventions in 1845. They believed that the Bible sanctions slavery and that it was acceptable for Christians to own slaves. They believed slavery was a human institution which Baptist teaching could make less harsh. As early as the late 18th century, black Baptists began to organize separate churches, associations and mission agencies.


 * Blacks set up some independent Baptist congregations in the South before the American Civil War. White Baptist associations maintained some oversight of these churches. In the postwar years, freedmen quickly left the white congregations and associations, setting up their own churches. In 1866 the Consolidated American Baptist Convention, formed from black Baptists of the South and West, helped southern associations set up black state conventions, which they did in Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Two other national black conventions were formed, and in 1895 they united as the National Baptist Convention. This organization later went through its own changes, spinning off other conventions. It is the largest black religious organization and the second-largest Baptist organization in the world. Baptists are numerically most dominant in the Southeast. Wikipedia:Baptists

Baptist Family Tree

 * This Baptist Family Tree diagrams the development and relationship of all the various groups within the Baptist category of churches. Each of the resultant groups could preserve records differently, whether in archives or local churches.

Types of Church Records
Very few records were kept by Baptist churches, and those kept had very little vital data. However, prior to 1850, when detailed census records started, or until the advent of civil registration, the few Baptist records that did show births, marriages, and deaths might be the only evidence available. Looking for them could be essential.

Information about the baptism, marriage, death, or moving in and out are more likely to be found in business meeting narrative minutes than in separate registers.

Ministers

 * The Ministerial Directory of the Baptist Churches in the United States of America. Oxford, Ohio: Ministerial Directory Co., 1899. Digital version at Google Books.

Research Wiki State Pages
There is a Church Records page for each state of the United States. These pages have links to online records, entries in the FamilySearch catalog, state archives, and genealogical/historical societies for church records available in each state.

Baptist Archives
"Baptist" is a type of religion, not the name of a specific religion. There are many organized groups of Baptist-type religions. Archives for the largest organizations are here. However, the local church your ancestors attended might not have belonged to any of these. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

American Baptist Historical Society 2930 Flowers Rd, South Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30341 Telephone: 678-547-6680


 * Website
 * Pdf:ORIGINAL CHURCH RECORDS at the AMERICAN BAPTIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY
 * Genealogy: guide for genealogists and family historians

National Association of Free Will Baptists Executive Office 5233 Mt. View Road Antioch, TN 37013-2306 Mailing Address: FWB Executive Office P.O. Box 5002 Antioch, TN 37011-5002


 * Website

Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archive 901 Commerce Street, Suite 400 Nashville, TN 37203-3630 Telephone: 615-244-0344


 * Website
 * Church Records on Microfilm Includes information on ordering records.

Writing for Records
See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Google using "Churches near ________" or the name of a specific church
 * Find a Southern Baptist Church
 * National Baptist Convention, USA Directory of Churches
 * National Association of Free Will Baptists
 * North American Baptist Conference Church Locator German background
 * Baptist General Conference Church Locator Swedish background
 * American Baptist Churches in the USA Church Finder
 * Conservative Baptist Association of America Church Finder
 * Association of Regular Baptist Churches Church Finder'''
 * Baptist Missionary Association of America Churches

Websites

 * Baptist History Homepage, A Source for Original Baptist Documents has digital versions of many Baptist histories, biographies, and other items of interest to genealogists who discover Baptist ancestry in the United States of America.
 * List of Baptist denominations in the United States
 * Cyndi's List - Baptist
 * Ministers - A list of Baptist ministers and the churches they served