India Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in India, go to the Religious Records page.

Church records are an excellent source for accurate information on names and dates and on places of births, marriages, and deaths. Many people who lived in India have information recorded about them in a church record. Since civil authorities did not begin registering vital statistics until 1872, church records are the best source for family information before that date.

The first step in researching European or Anglo-Indian ancestry in colonial India is to use the church records. For administrative purposes, colonial India was divided into three Presidencies, Bombay, Madras, and Bengal. Protestant and Catholic churches began to keep records in India in 1698 (Madras), 1709 (Bombay) and 1713 (Bengal). Each year, these records were transcribed and sent to the capital of the Presidency, where they were indexed. The records and indexes were then sent to headquarters in London. This practice ceased at Independence in 1947. Learn more about family history in the India Office Records.

Parish maps can help you determine which parish to search. Maps will reveal neighboring parishes to search if your ancestor is not listed in the parish where you expected him or her to be. See India Maps for more information.

India: British Subjects - Baptisms, Births, Marriages, Deaths and Burials

 * 1628-1969 UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * St Michaels Church, Baptismal Register - Index of Names at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1676-1914 India (French Overseas) Civil Registration and Parish Registers, 1676-1914at France National Archives - index and images
 * 1698-1948 Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Madras, 1698-1948(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images and incomplete index.
 * 1707-1898 Madras Baptism Indexes (India Office Records) at FIBIS - index
 * 1709-1948 Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bombay, 1709-1948(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images and incomplete index.
 * 1713-1948 Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, 1713-1948(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images and incomplete index.
 * 1719-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1724-1996 India, Archdiocese of Goa, Roman Catholic Priesthood Candidates, 1724-1996 at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * 1743-1990 India, Madras Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1743-1990 at FamilySearch, images only.
 * 1751-1880 St Thomas’ Mount, Madras Baptisms at FIBIS - index
 * 1788-1790 St Mary of the Angels, Madras Baptisms at FIBIS - index
 * 1786-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1792-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1793-1859 Register of births and baptisms kept at the Holy Nazareth Church, Calcutta at FIBIS - index
 * 1801-1948 Bengal Baptism Indexes at FIBIS - index
 * 1809-1997 Church records, 1809-1997 of St. Mark's Church in Bangalore(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images
 * 1810-1827 Trichinopoly St John's Church Baptisms at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1815-1848 Madras Fort St. George, St. Marys Church Baptism Indexes at FIBIS - index
 * 1831-1864 Chandernagore Civil Birth Registration Index at FIBIS - index
 * 1832-1840 Bangalore baptisms at FIBIS - index
 * 1835-1856 Roman Catholic returns of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1835-1856(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, index and images.
 * 1830s-1850s St Thomas’ Mount, Madras Baptisms at FIBIS - index
 * 1852-1990 Christ Church Chennai Madras - Chaplains at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1854-2012 India, Gujarat Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1854-2012 at FamilySearch, images only.
 * 1858-1881 Madras St Andrews Church, Vepery - Baptismal Register at FIBIS - index
 * 1858-1898 Bombay Baptism Indexes at FIBIS - index
 * 1858-1881 St Andrews Church, Baptismal Register 1858-1881 at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1858-2014 India, Haryana, Gurgaon, New Colony, St. Michael's Church, parish registers, 1858-2014(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1860-1871 Madras Baptism Indexes (India Office Records) at FIBIS - index
 * 1874-1898 Christ Church, Mount Road - Marriage Register 1874-1898 at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1880-1898 All Souls Church, Coimbatore - Burial Records at FIBIS - images & images
 * 1880-1900 Madras St Michaels Church, Coimbatore - Baptismal Register at FIBIS - index & images
 * 1887-1997 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1887-1997, Catholic Church, Saint John the Baptist (Benaulim, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1913-1995 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1913-1995, Igreja Católica, São Felipe e São Tiago (Cortalim, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1913-1996 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1913-1996, Catholic Church, Saint Inês (Panaji, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1956 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1956, Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Rosary (Siridão, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1957 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1957, Catholic Church, Our Lady of Snows (Rachol, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1982 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1982, Catholic Church, Saint John the Evangelist (Neurá, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1988 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1988, Catholic Church, Our Lady of Snows (Raia, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1988 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1988, Catholic Church, Saint John the Baptist (Pilerne, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1990 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1990, Catholic Church, Our Lady of Piety (Divar, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1914-1990 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1990, Catholic Church, Saint Thomas (Aldona, Goa) at FamilySearch, images only.
 * 1914-1991 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1914-1991, Catholic Church, Saint John the Baptist (Carambolim, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1929-1999 Parish registers, 1929-1999, Catholic Church, Our Lady of Purification Church (Manambathi Kandigai, Chinglepet)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1940-2013 India, Delhi, Delhi, Shahdara, St. Joseph's Church, parish registers, 1940-2013(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1940-1947 Registros paroquiais (cópias), 1940-1947, Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Rosary (Rivona, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1947-1990 Registros paroquiais, 1947-1990, Catholic Church, Saint Cajetan (Bastora, Goa)(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, images only.
 * 1949-1967 India and Pakistan, ecclesiastical returns, registered 1949-1967(*) at FamilySearch Catalog, indexed images.

Christian Church Records
These include records of baptisms, marriages, and burials. Includes not only British, and European members, but native Indians as well. They generally exist from 1700 to present. Some churches were established in the 1600s, but records generally do not exist from that time.

Burial records give date and place of death and deceased name, if in the military has detachment, if a mariner the name of his ship, if a colonist the words “inhabitant”. European nationality was given if not English and if a native Indian the words “India Man” were used. Initially no age was given however, if an infant it was so noted. Cause of death given. Christenings, baptisms and births are often mixed together in the register. The event’s date, the name and sex of the child, it’s father’s name and sometimes that of the mother is given as is European nationality if other than English. The marriage records show date and place of marriage, full name of bride and groom except in the case of an Indian woman where only a European first name is given, the groom’s military affiliation if any and the word “inhabitant” was generally noted.

Locating Church Records
To find an ancestor in church records, it helps to know his religion and the parish where he lived. The Imperial Gazetteer may help you find the parish. See the "Gazetteers" section of this Wiki for information about the gazetteer and for other help in finding a parish.

More than 200,000 transcriptions of indexes to church records are available on FIBIS Families in British India Society and India Office Family History Search. All of the church record transcriptions and indexes have been microfilmed and are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library (direct link to a list of FS Library Microfilms of Church registers in India). They can be found by using the Place Search for India - Church Records.

Church of North India (Anglican)
The Church of North India was established in 1970 by the merger of the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican); the United Church of Northern India (Congregationalist and Presbyterian); the Baptist Churches of Northern India (British Baptists); the Methodist Church (British and Australian Conferences); and the Disciples of Christ. The Church of the Brethren in India, which was a part of the merger withdrew in 2006. The Church includes all of the states and Union Territories of India with the exception of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and is divided into seven diocese: Calcutta, Mumbai, Chotanagpur, Lucknow, Nagpur, North East India, and Nasik.

The Diocese of Mumbai covers the entire state of Gujarat, as well as parts of the states of Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. During the Bombay Presidency (1843 to 1936), it also included Anglican churches in what is now Yemen. The seat of the bishop is located at St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai.

Church of South India
The Church of South India was created as a successor to the Church of England after India's independence in 1947. It is a union of the Anglican Church in India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka; the South Indian Methodist Church; and the South Indian United Church. The South Indian United Church was formed by a merger of Congregationalist, Dutch Reformed, and Presbyterian churches in 1908.

The Church of South India is comprised of 24 dioceses in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telegana, and the distrcts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka. The Madras Diocese is one of eight diocese in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of India.
 * b. Click on Places within India and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. 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.