Adventist Churches in the United States

United States   United States Church Records   Adventist

History
Source: Wikipedia
 * Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening. Baptist preacher, William Miller, first publicly shared his belief that the Second Coming would occur at some point between 1843 and 1844. His followers became known as Millerites. The Millerite movement split up and was continued by a number of groups known collectively as the Adventist movement.
 * In 2010, Adventism claimed some 22 million believers scattered in various independent churches. The largest church within the movement—-the Seventh-day Adventist Church-—had more than 19 million baptized members in 2015.
 * Other Adventist groups include:

Adventism Religion Family Tree
This Religion Family Tree''' diagrams all the different branches of Adventism.

Information in Records
Membership Lists: Name of member, received how and when (by baptism or letter), baptism date, dismissed how and when (by death, moving, or disfellowshipment), death date. Family members listed together.

Church Minutes: Establishment of church, business meetings, financial records, Baptisms, deaths, admissions, positions in organization such as treasurer, disciplinary actions.

Archives

 * Center for Adventist Research
 * James White Library
 * Andrews University
 * 4190 Administration Drive
 * Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1440


 * Phone: (269) 471-3209
 * Email: car@andrews.edu
 * Website
 * Location: Ground floor of James White Library on the campus of Andrews University

Writing to Local 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.

Address lists:
 * Adventist Church Finder
 * Christadelphians Directory
 * Advent Christian Churches Directory
 * Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement Church List
 * Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association
 * Church of God (Seventh-day) Find A Church
 * Church of God and Saints of Christ
 * Church of God General Conference
 * Creation Seventh-day Adventist Church'''

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.

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.