Sierra Leone Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites
'''Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Historical Background
The large majority of Sierra Leonean Christians are Protestant, of which the largest groups are the Wesleyan Methodists. Other Christian Protestant denominations with significant presence in the country include Presbyterians, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Pentecostals. Catholics are the largest group of non-Protestant Christians in Sierra Leone, forming about 8% of Sierra Leone's population and 26% of the Christian population in Sierra Leone. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the two most prominent non Trinitarian Christians in Sierra Leone, and they form a small but significant minority of the Christian population in Sierra Leone. A small community of Orthodox Christians resides in the capital Freetown.

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 Sierra Leone.
 * b. Click on Places within Sierra Leone 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.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Sierra Leone

Diocese of Bo PO Box 21 Bo, Southern Province, Sierra Leone Telephone:+232 766 778 62

Diocese of Freetown Bishopscourt 105 Fourah Bay Road PO Box 537 Freetown, Sierra Leone Telephone:+232 (0)22 251 307 Email: vicnold2003@gmail.com

Historical Background
Anglican Diocese of Freetown and Diocese of Bo were formed in 1981 by the partition of the previous Diocese of Sierra Leone, which had been established in 1852.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Sierra Leone

Historical Background
The Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone is a Baptist Christian denomination in Sierra Leone. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Freetown. The Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone has its origins in a Canadian mission of the preacher David George in 1792 and the support of the Jamaica Baptist Union. It is officially founded in 1974. In 2017, it had 50 churches and 28,212 members.

There are many different organizations that fall under the category of Baptist churches. This just gives an indication of how early there were Baptist denominations in Sierra Leone.

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Sierra Leone

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are approximately 175,000 Catholics in Sierra Leone - around 3% of the total population. Catholic missionaries were active in the coastal regions of Sierra Leone from the early sixteenth century although only a few people converted to Catholicism. The country is divided into four dioceses in one ecclesiastical province.

Online Records
Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
Total Church Membership: 21,286. Congregations: 69. Church members who had been baptized in the Netherlands and Ghana formed a study group in Freetown in 1988. That same year two missionary couples arrived, and in June they took part in a service in which the first 14 converts were baptized. The Goderich Branch (a small congregation) was organized in August 1988, and in 1989 the first local full-time missionary was called to serve in his country.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Sierra Leone

Historical Background
It wasn't until late in the twentieth century that Orthodox Christian missionaries arrived in Sierra Leone. Missionary efforts by the Church of Alexandria in West Africa began in 1983. In 1997, the Diocese of Ghana was established with jurisdiction over much of West Africa including Sierra Leone.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Sierra Leone

Historical Background
Members of this church began working in Sierra Leone in 1915. For a detailed history, see Sierra Leone history at JW.org.

Writing for Records

 * Map and list of Lutheran parishes in Sierra Leone
 * "Evangelical Church in Sierra Leone, The Lutheran World Federation'''
 * Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Sierra Leone

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Sierra Leone

Historical Background
The missionary work of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Sierra Leone started in 1792, at the request of converted settlers from Nova Scotia who, on arrival in the country, had formed themselves into religious classes. A few people served as local preachers and class leaders. Personnel from the Methodist Church in Britain and Ireland developed the work in the provinces. The church was part of the British Conference, and became autonomous in 1967.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Sierra Leone

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Sierra Leone

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Sierra Leone