Malaysia Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

 * Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, 1713-1948 The Presidency of Bengal mainly included the states of Bihar and Orissa. At times the Presidency extended to Punjab and most of Northern India. Includes returns from the British colonies of Burma, Malacca (Malaysia) and Singapore.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Malaysia, index and images, ($)
 * British India Office Births & Baptisms, index
 * British India Office Marriages, index ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Malaysia, index and images, ($)
 * British India Office Deaths & Burials, index ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Religious Denominations in Malaysia

 * Dutch Reformed, starting in 1642
 * Anglican, starting in 1820
 * Armenian, starting in 1827
 * Catholic, starting in 1846
 * Brethren, starting in 1864
 * Methodist, starting in 1885
 * Presbyterian, starting in 1895

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

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 Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Malaysia.
 * b. Click on Places within Malaysia 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.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Wiki Articles on Writing for Records

 * The Registers of St. George's Anglican Church in Penang, Malaysia
 * Roman Catholic Records Held At "Our Lady of Sorrows," Penang, Malaysia