North Dakota Church Records

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Historical Background
Before 1900 the largest religious groups in North Dakota were Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Germans from Russia

 * Odessa3.org - This site contains German-Russian emigrant ancestry in pocket settlements in mid-west states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska . Contains transcribed minutes of meetings, membership lists (some with parentage listed), birth, deaths, and marriages.

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Community of Christ)

 * Early Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * U.S., Published Quaker Family Histories, 1845-192

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete, ($).
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)

Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The FamilySearch Library (FS Library) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, North Dakota.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, North Dakota and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, North Dakota [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. 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.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location. For Methodists, Presbyterians, Dunkards, and Lutherans you can consult the various volumes of The Collections of The State Historical Society of North Dakota Seven Volumes. (Bismarck, North Dakota: Tribune State Printers, 1906—;.

Correspond with or visit the actual 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.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Lutheran
ELCA Region3 Archives 2481 Como Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55108-1496 Phone: (651) 641-3205 E-mail:pdaniels@luthersem.edu
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Germans from Russia Heritage Collection North Dakota State University Dept 2080 PO Box 6050 Fargo, ND 58108-6050 Phone: +1 (701) 231-8416 Fax: (701) 231-6128



Methodist
Archives & Manuscript Collections Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church McGovern Library Dakota Wesleyan University 1201 McGovern Avenue Mitchell, SD 57301 Phone: (605) 995-2134
 * Informational brochure

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Bismarck Chancery Office Box 1575 420 Raymond Street Bismarck, ND 58502-1575 Phone: (701) 223-1347 Fax: (701) 223-3693 The diocese includes the counties of: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Divide, Dunn, Emmons, Golden Valley, Hettinger, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Mountrail, Oliver, Renville, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Ward and Williams.
 * Contact the local parish for record requests.

Diocese of Fargo 5201 Bishops Blvd., Suite A Fargo, ND 58104-7605 Phone: (701) 356-7900 The diocese includes the counties of: Barnes, Benson, Bottineau, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh and Wells
 * Certain records, including baptism, marriage, and funeral/cemetery records, are maintained by the parish where the ceremony took place. Please contact the parish for information regarding such records, before contacting the Diocese.
 * Location of records for closed parishes

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

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.