Indiana Church Records

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Historical Background
Before 1900, the largest religious groups in Indiana were the Roman Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Christian (Disciples of Christ), and Baptist 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:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * Indiana, Church Records, 1743-1966, index, and some images. Incomplete.
 * Indiana, United Methodist Church Records, 1837-1970, index and images, ($)
 * Indiana, Selected Quaker Meeting Directories, 1836-1921, ($), index/images.

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

 * The Family History Library (FHL) 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 Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Indiana.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Indiana 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, Indiana [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.

Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.

Online

 * Heiss, Willard et al. Indiana Source Book: Genealogical Material from the Hoosier Genealogist. 10 vols. Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana Historical Society, Family History Section, 1977-. book 977.2 D29h v. 1
 * Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Indiana''. 3 vols. Indianapolis, Ind.: Historical Records Survey, 1941. Volume one pertains to Marion County. Volume two is for the Calumet Region (Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties). Volume three pertains to Northern Indiana, part one: Adventist Bodies-Mennonite Bodies; part two: Methodist- Y.W.C.A. In addition to an index to churches in Indiana, there is an index of denominations that includes the name and location of the churches.

Books

 * Rudolph, L. C. and Judith E. Endelman. Religion in Indiana: A Guide to Historical Resources. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana Univ. Press, 1986. book 977.2 K23r. This book contains an excellent bibliography of published works, a list of repositories for the different denominations, and histories of congregations.
 * Rudolph, L. C. Hoosier Faiths: A History of Indiana Churches and Religious Groups. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1995. book 977.2 K2ru. This describes general history and Indiana history, and includes biographies of significant local leaders of 50 major religious groups. It is indexed.

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.

Amish
Elkhart and Lagrange Counties in northeastern Indiana are home to the third largest concentration of Amish in North America. The Amish, or “plain people,” are a derivative of the Anabaptist heritage resulting from a division in the Mennonite churches of Europe in the 17th century. The Mennof-Hof Amish and Mennonite Information Center (510 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana, 46565-8983; 260-768-4117) tells the history of the Amish and Mennonite people.

The Amish in several communities in Indiana have published directories of their communities at regular intervals from the 1980s to the present, including Elkhart-Lagrange-Noble Counties, Adams-Jay Counties, and Nappannee-Kokomo-Milroy. These volumes feature a wealth of information for each family, including husband’s name, wife’s maiden name, the names of each spouse’s parents, children’s names, dates of birth for each individual, children’s marriage partners, the family address, husband’s occupation, and notations of whether each child is living at home, married and living within the community, married and living in another Amish community, single and living outside the family home, or has left the Amish faith. The directories also include history of the communities and maps showing locations of Amish homesteads and schools.

Goshen College (1700 S. Main St., Goshen 46526) is home to the Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen (Newcomer Center; 574-523-3080; toll-free 866-866-2872 ext. 23080; email [mailto:History@MennoniteUSA.org History@MennoniteUSA.org]) The archives houses the official records of the Mennonite Church and personal papers of Mennonites, Hutterites, Amish and other Anabaptist groups. Complementing the Archives is the Mennonite Historical Library (Good Library, third floor; 574-535-7418; email [mailto:mhl@goshen.edu mhl@goshen.edu]). The collection of the Mennonite Historical Library includes genealogy resources, history books and Mennonite periodicals.

Two colleges that participate in the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) have Mennonite-Anabaptist tradition and may be resources for records of or about these denominations in Indiana. These are Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (3003 Benham Ave., Elkhart, 46517; phone 574-296-6253) and Goshen College (1700 S. Main St., Goshen, 46256; 574-535-7427). Their catalogs may be searched collectively by using the PALNI online catalog.

Baptist
Indiana Baptist Collection Franklin College Library 101 Branigin Blvd Franklin, IN 46131-2623 Phone: (317) 738-8162 or 1-(800) 852-0232 Fax: (317) 738-8787 Email: [mailto:library@franklincollege.edu library@franklincollege.edu]

An 1899 directory of Baptist ministers lists biographical details about many ministers born or serving in the state:


 * The Ministerial Directory of the Baptist Churches in the United States of America. Oxford, Ohio: Ministerial Directory Co., 1899. Digital version at Google Books.

Church of Christ

 * Indiana Delegates to Church of Christ Convention, Danville (1916) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Disciples of Christ
Christian Theological Seminary Library 1000 W. 42nd St. Indianapolis, IN 46208 Phone: (317) 924-1331 Fax: (317) 923-1961

Episcopal

 * Clergy of Indiana Diocese, Episcopal Church (1838-1888) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Ministers of Indiana Conference, Episcopal Church (1888) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Lutheran
Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 321 Bonnie Lane, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Alternate mailing address: 8765 W. Higgins Rd. Chicago, IL 60631 (Appointments in advance of visits is advised)

Phone: (847) 690-9410 Fax: (847) 690-9502 E-mail: [mailto:archives@elca.org archives@elca.org]

This archive has microfilms of German, Danish, and Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran congregations. Many of their records can be borrowed on microfilm for a small fee. You can write to ask if they have records of a specific congregation. For information about lists of some of the church records in their collection, see United States Church Records.


 * Ministers of Indiana Conference, Evangelical Church (1915) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Methodist
Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism Roy O. West Library 11 E Larabee St P.O. Box 37 Greencastle, IN 46135-0037 Phone: (765) 658-4406 Fax: (765) 658-4423 E-mail: [mailto:archives@depauw.edu archives@depauw.edu]

The Family History Library has some Indiana Methodist histories and church records. Try a title search in the FamilySearch Catalog for "Indiana Methodist"


 * Deceased Ministers of Norwest Indiana Conference, Methodist Church (1854-1898) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)
 * Deceased Ministers of Northern Indiana Conference, Methodist Church (1844-1916) (members only database, Indiana Genealogical Society)

Moravian
The Moravian Archives 41 West Locust Street Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018 United States of America Phone: (610) 866-3255 Fax: (610) 866-9210

For information concerning missions to the American Indians visit Moravian Missions Among American Indians. For a map and list of missions visit Early Moravian Missions in Eastern Pennsylvania and Surrounding Areas 1740-1773.

Mission records are also available in the. The records are indexed in the Book 970.1 F642i.

Presbyterian
Archives of the Presbyterian Church of Indiana Duggan Library P.O. Box 287 Hanover, IN 47243-0287 Phone: (812) 866-7165 Fax: (812) 866-7172

Roman Catholic
University of Notre Dame Archives 607 Hesburgh Library Notre Dame, IN 46556 Phone: (574) 631-6448 Fax: (574) 631-7980 E-mail: [mailto:archives@nd.edu archives@nd.edu]

The records of all four Roman Catholic dioceses in Indiana are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. These records include the dioceses of Evansville, Fort Wayne-South Bend, Gary, and Lafayette, plus the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, all to about 1916. The early church records of Vincennes, in what is now Knox County, have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library.

Diocese of Evansville 4200 N. Kentucky Ave. P.O. Box 4169 Evansville, IN 47724-0169 Phone: (812) 424-5536

The diocese includes the counties of: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, and Warrick.

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, 915 South Clinton P.O. Box 390 Fort Wayne, IN 46801 Phone: (260) 422-4611

The diocese includes the counties of: Adams, Allen, Dekalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

Diocese of Gary 9292 Broadway Merrillville, IN 46410 Phone: (219) 769-9292

The diocese includes the counties of: Lake, LaPorte, Porter and Starke.

Archdiocese of Indianaplolis 1400 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 Phone: (800) 382-9836

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Putnam, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union, Vermillion, Washington, and Wayne.

Diocese of Lafayette P.O. Box 260 Lafayette, IN 47902-0260 Phone: (765) 742-4852

The diocese includes the counties of: Benton, Blackford, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Delaware, Fountain, Fulton, Grant, Hamilton, Howard,Jasper, Jay, Madison, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Pulaski, Randolph, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Warren, and White.

St. Francis Xavier (Vincennes, Indiana). Parish Registers, 1780–1960. Microfilmed 1985. film 1433361-65. The original records are at St. Francis Xavier Church, Vincennes, Indiana. They list baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, deaths, and graves of soldiers who served in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1835), the Mexican War, and the Civil War. These records may have information about persons from various parts of what is now Indiana and persons traveling through Vincennes.

Other microfilmed Roman Catholic records for Vincennes are also listed in the FamilySearch Catalog, such as St. Thomas (1865–1984) and St. John the Baptist (1847–1947).

The Drouin Collection Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954 ($) (Ancestry). This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the United States in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is the U.S. part of the U.S. and French-Canadian Drouin Collection. For more details see "The Drouin Collection: Six Databases"

The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.

Society of Friends (Quakers)
Many Quaker records are kept at the Indiana Historical Society. (See the “Archives and Libraries” section above for the address.)

Another library with Quaker records is:

Earlham College Friends Collection Lilly Library 801 National Road West Richmond, IN 47374-4095 Phone: (765) 983-1511 Fax: (765) 983-1304

An important source for information about Indiana Quakers is:


 * Heiss, Willard. Abstracts of the Records of the Society of Friends in Indiana, 6 vols. Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana Historical Society, 1962-1977. book 977.2 K28h;  fiche 6051380-386. This includes records of births, marriages, deaths, removals, dismissals, and memberships. Another source

A unique source listing many Indiana Quakers is:


 * Nelson, Jacquelyn S. Indiana Quakers Confront the Civil War. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society, 1991. book 977.2 H2n. Appendix C lists Indiana Friends (Quakers) who served in the Civil War. For each man, it generally lists birth date, parents’ names, monthly meeting and county thereof, company, regiment, rank, and death date.

The Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog lists church records under:

INDIANA, [COUNTY]- CHURCH RECORDS INDIANA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- CHURCH RECORDS

Missions


 * Francis Godfroy (trading house-St. Joseph)
 * Carey Mission
 * Miami Union Baptist Church
 * Wahcaconah Church

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:
 * Society Hill List of Indiana Societies

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.