Methodist Church in the United States

United States   Church Records   Methodist Church Records 

History in the United States
The history of Methodism in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century. Following the American Revolution, most of the Anglican clergy who had been in America went back to England. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, sent Thomas Coke to America where he and Francis Asbury founded the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was to later establish itself as the largest denomination in America during the 19th century.

Methodism thrived in America thanks to the First and Second Great Awakenings beginning in the 1700s. Various African-American denominations were formed during this period, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the early 20th century, many of the splintered Methodist groups joined together to form The Methodist Church (USA). Another merger in 1968 resulted in the formation of The United Methodist Church from the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) and the Methodist Church.

Other smaller Methodist denominations in the United States, including those that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church, exist, such as the Free Methodist Church, Evangelical Methodist Church, Congregational Methodist Church, Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, among others. Spurce: Wikipedia

Methodist Religion Family Tree
This Methodist Family Tree diagrams the development of the various branches of Methodist religion.

Information in the Records

 * Membership records include baptisms, probationary or preparatory memberships, and memberships in full communion.
 * Sunday School attendance records
 * Marriages
 * Funerals

Minister Lists

 * List of Pastors and Ministers A list of Methodist Ministers] and the churches or circuits they served, extracted from the archives of the church minutes.


 * Methodist Conference Transfers 1842-1892 A list of transfers of Methodist ministers from one conference to another, extracted from the archives of the church minutes.

Writing to Local Churches
Always start by contacting the local churches in the town where your ancestor's lived. Ask whether they existed during your ancestors' time period and/or whether other early churches merged with them.
 * United Methodist Church Find a Church
 * Local church records are kept at the local church. If that church closes and merges with another church, then the records go to the new church.  If the church closes and there is no successor church, then the records are usually transferred to the annual conference archives.  You will need to contact the conference archives to learn more about the status of the church and how to go about finding its records.  Use on-line conference directory to locate the person you need to contact.


 * African Methodist Episcopal Church Directory
 * African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Directory
 * Christian Methodist Episcopal Find a Church
 * Evangelical United Brethren Church Find a Church
 * Wesleyan Church Find a Church
 * Free Methodist Church of North America
 * Union American Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Congregational Methodist Church Finder
 * African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church

There are several much smaller Methodist churches. Google "Churches near [TOWN], inserting the name of your ancestors' town to find other churches in the area.'''

United Methodist Church

 * United Methodist Archives Center
 * Drew University Library
 * P.O. Box 127
 * Madison, NJ 07940
 * Telephone: 201-408-3189
 * Fax: 201-408-3909


 * Website
 * Search the archives
 * UMAC Archival Catalog


 * THE DREW UNIVERSITY METHODIST LIBRARY CHURCH FILE COLLECTION
 * This collection of folders is available for researchers at the United Methodist Archives Center at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey,USA. The Wilson Reading Room is open from 9AM–5 PM Monday through Friday with the exception of some holidays. For questions about access and/or availability please contact Christopher Anderson, Methodist Librarian &Coordinator of Special Collections, atcjanders@drew.edu or 973.408.3910.


 * General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) of the United Methodist Church: Guide: How to Research Your Family
 * American Methodism Project: The GCAH has teamed with other United Methodist-affiliated libraries, seminaries, and archives, and the Internet Archive to create the American Methodism Project, "a digitized collection of interdisciplinary and historical materials related to American Methodism."

African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.)
Payne Theological Seminary and A.M.E. Church Archive Princeton Theological Seminary Library 25 Library Place Princeton, NJ 08540
 * Website
 * Digital Collections Overview
 * Methodist Church Records

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E.Z.)
Heritage Hall Archives and Research Center Livingstone College 701 West Monroe Street Salisbury, NC 28144 Telephone: (704) 797-1094 Email: heritage_hall@hotmail.com
 * Website

African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church Collection Brooklyn Public Library 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY, 11238 Phone: 718.230.2762 E-mail: bcref@bklynlibrary.org
 * Website
 * Finding Aid
 * Collection Inventory

Historical Societies

 * Historical Society of the United Methodist Church
 * PO Box 127
 * Madison, NJ 07940


 * Website
 * Promotes interest in the study, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents.


 * Directory of Regional Historical Societies
 * Archivists can advise on the location of records for churches within their conference.