Colorado Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Colorado were the Catholic, Methodist-Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Baptist.

An inventory that can help you find church records is Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Colorado, Volume 2. Church Archives (Denver: Colorado Historical Records Survey W.P.A., 1942; Family History Library book 978.8 A3h; film 897482 item 9). This book lists churches that existed about 1940.

The Family History Library has records of some Catholic and Presbyterian congregations and pre-1949 LDS ward records, but few other church records. The library also has histories of the Episcopal, Latter-day Saint, and Presbyterian groups in the state.

Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where their records are located:

Baptist

American Baptist Historical Society P.O. Box 851 Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 Telephone: 610-768-2374 http://www.baptisthistory.us/

Episcopal

Diocese of Colorado 1300 Washington St Denver, CO 80203-2008 Telephone: 303-837-1173 http://www.coloradodiocese.org/contactus.html

Methodist

Rocky Mountain Conference Historical Society Ira J. Taylor Library Iliff School of Theology 2201 S. University Boulevard Denver, CO 80210-4798 Telephone: 303-744-1287 Fax: 303-777-3387 or 303-777-0164 email: [mailto:info@iliff.edu info@iliff.edu] http://historicalsocietyunitedmethodistchurch.org/

Presbyterian

Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Telephone: 215-627-1852 Fax: 215-627-0509 [mailto:refdesk@history.pcusa.org refdesk@history.pcusa.org] http://www.history.pcusa.org/

Roman Catholic Archives of the Archdiocese of Denver 1300 South Steele St. Denver, CO 80210-2599 Telephone: 303-722-4687 Fax: 303-331-8071 [mailto:archives@archden.org archives@archden.org] http://www.archden.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=section&amp;id=11&amp;Itemid=421

Diocese of Pueblo 1001 No. Grand Avenue Pueblo, CO 81003 Telephone: 719-544-9861 Fax: 719-544-5202 [mailto:info@dioceseofpueblo.com info@dioceseofpueblo.com]

http://www.dioceseofpueblo.com/main.htm

For a history of the Catholic church in Colorado, see Rev. Jean Baptiste Salpointe, Soldiers of the Cross. . ., 1898, Reprint (Albuquerque, New Mexico: Calvin Horn Publishers, 1967; Family History Library book 973 K2sj).