Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States

United States Church Records  Ukrainian Orthodox Church Records

History in the United States
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of USA) is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. It consists of two eparchies (dioceses), ruled by two bishops, including about 85 active parishes and missions. The Church's head offices and Consistory are based in South Bound Brook, New Jersey.

As of 2018 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA was divided into two eparchies (dioceses):
 * Eastern Eparchy (Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York City, Eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia), headed by Metropolitan Antony (New York City, New York-Washington D.C.)
 * Western Eparchy (Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania), headed by Archbishop Daniel (Chicago, Illinois)

In total, there are about 80 parishes. Source: Wikipedoia

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.

Addresses:
 * Ukrainian Orthodox Church Parish Listing by State

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.

The Ukrainian History and Education Center 135 Davidson Avenue Somerset, New Jersey 08873 Tel: 732-356-0132 E-mail: info@UkrHEC.org
 * Website
 * Church records:
 * The Ukrainian St. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (Willimantic, Conn.) records
 * The St. Peter and Paul parish was founded in the early 1930s during the height of the Great Depression, and remained active for approximately 40 years. The collection contains lists of parish members and records of baptisms, marriages and funerals, as well as legal records, deeds, and parish council meeting minutes dating back to the founding of the parish.
 * St. Michael Ukrainian Church (Jeannette, Pa.) records
 * This collection contains the incomplete parish records of St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox parish in Jeannette, PA, consisting of records of parish board meetings and funerals.
 * St. Nicholas Church (Export, Pa.) records
 * This collection contains the parish records of the St. Nicholas Church in Export, Pennsylvania. It contains baptism, marriage and funeral records, as well as membership lists and legal documents.

Births/baptisms
Name, dates of birth and baptism, names and age of parents, sometimes including mother's maiden name, and name of godparent. For each person mentioned the name (or initial of) his/her father’s name is given.

Marriages
Names of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, names of the parents of the bride and groom, sometimes the ages of the bride and groom and their birthplaces, name of priest performing the marriage, and names of witnesses.

Death/burial
Name of the deceased, father's name, date of death, age, marital status, cause of death, place of burial, name of the person who gave the information, and sometimes the name of the attending physician. Death records of married women usually do not give the maiden names.

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 gathering 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.