Massachusetts Church Records

For detailed information about Massachusetts church research, see the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide page.

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Historical Background
Before 1900 the major religious groups in Massachusetts were:


 * Congregationalists
 * Roman Catholics
 * Baptists
 * Methodists
 * Episcopalians

The Congregational Church was the predominant church until the end of the 18th century.

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

 * , index and some images, incomplete
 * Index only.
 * Index only.
 * Index.

Ancestry.com

 * Massachusetts, Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850, ($), index and images.
 * Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 ($)
 * Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 ($)
 * American Marriages Before 1699 ($)
 * U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 ($)
 * Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800, Vol. I($) Other digital versions:Genealogy Today, Internet Archive, World Vital Records ($)
 * Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 ($)

FindMyPast

 * United States Marriages – Massachusetts, 1600-1961 ($) index and images
 * United States Marriages – Massachusetts, 1600-1961 ($) index and images

Other Collections

 * Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England, New York and New Jersey records with links to abstracts of the records.

Congregational

 * Online Congregational Church Records, images

Look for digital copies of church records listed 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, Massachusetts.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Massachusetts 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, Massachusetts [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.
 * Report on the Custody and Condition of the Public Records: a list of the churches in each town, the date of organization, kinds of records kept, years covered, and condition of the records as of 1889

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.
 * 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.

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Baptist
American Baptist Historical Society The Library in Rochester is now closed to researchers, with interim director Betsy Dunbar working full-time, preparing collections for packing. We are not accepting any more research requests "by mail" in 2007 nor are we scheduling appointments to our Rochester Library at this time. We will also close the Valley Forge Archives Center to visitors beginning in mid-June. We are inviting researchers to plan to visit us in 2008 at our new location on the Atlanta campus of Mercer University.

An informative history is:


 * Brush, John Woolman. Baptists in Massachusetts. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 1970.

Congregational
The Congregational Library 14 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 Phone: (617) 523–0470 Fax: (617) 523–0491 E-mail: [mailto:jsteytler@14beacon.org jsteytler@14beacon.org ]

A historical perspective is found in:


 * Goodwin, John A. The Pilgrim Republic: An Historical Review of the Colony of New Plymouth, with Sketches of Other New England Settlements, the History of Congregationalism, and the Creeds of the Period. Boston, Mass.: Tickner, 1888.

Episcopal
The Diocesan Library and Archives The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts 138 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02111 Phone: (617) 482–5800; (800) 696-6079 Fax: (617) 482–8431 E-mail: [mailto:mgardiner@diomass.org archivist@diomass.org ]

For histories of the Episcopal Church see:


 * Duffy, Mark J., ed. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts 1784-1984. [Boston, Mass.]: Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, 1984.
 * Tyng, Dudley. Massachusetts Episcopalians, 1607-1957. [Boston, Massachusetts]: Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, [1960].

Society of Friends (Quakers)
Rhode Island Historical Society 121 Hope Street Providence, RI 02906 Phone: (401) 273–8107 Fax: (401) 751–7930

Informative history of Massachusetts Quakers include:


 * Bowden, James. The History of the Society of Friends in America. 2 vols. London: W. &amp; F.G. Cash, 1850-1854. Digital version of Vol. 1 at Google Books; [Volume 1 includes New England.]
 * Hallowell, Richard P. The Quaker Invasion of Massachusetts. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1883. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books. Illustrates the persecution the Quakers received from colonial authorities. Has examples of the strength and conviction of the Quakers' religious beliefs.

Lutheran
Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia The Krauth Memorial Library 7301 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19119-1794 Phone: (215) 248-6383 Fax: (215) 248-6327 E-mail: [mailto:mtairyarchives@ltsp.edu mtairyarchives@ltsp.edu]

Methodist
Boston University School of Theology Library 745 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215 Phone: (617) 353–3034 Fax: (617) 358–0699

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: (215) 627–1852 Fax: (215) 627–0509
 * Finding Aids for Massachusetts Records

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Boston 66 Brooks Drive Braintree, MA 02184-3839 Phone: (617) 254-0100

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk

Diocese of Fall River Archives 362 Highland Avenue P.O. Box 2577 Fall River, MA 02722 Phone: (508) 675-1311

The diocese includes the counties of: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes and Nantucket

Diocese of Springfield 65 Elliott St. P.O. Box 1730 Springfield, MA 01102 Phone: (413) 732-3175

The diocese includes the counties of: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire

Diocese of Worcester 49 Elm Street Worcester, MA 01609 Phone: (508) 791-7171

The diocese includes the county of: Worcester

Unitarian/Universalist
Andover-Harvard Theological Library Harvard Divinity School 45 Francis Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 495–5788 Fax: (617) 496–4111
 * Manuscripts and Archives Click on "Unitarian Universalist Congregational Records". Then scroll down to "Massachusetts".

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 Massachusetts Societies

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.