How to Find Church Records in the United States

How to Find Church Records in the United States

Step 1: Look for Online Records Both in the Listing at the Top of This Page and Under Individual Archives and Religions.
Many records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. These are listed at the top of the page and on the Alabama Online Genealogy Records page,. Archives will sometimes post online databases of records.

Step 2: Look for Digital Copies of Church Records 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. These include records of many denominations, particularly the Society of Friends (Quaker), Presbyterian, Congregational, Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic churches.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog state-wide, county-wide, or for a town.
 * 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 United States, Alabama.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Alabama 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, Alabama [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.

Step 3: Research Church Record Holdings in Person or by Correspondence in Archives.
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.

State Archives
Alabama Department of Archives and History P.O. Box 300100 624 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36130 Telephone:334-242-4435


 * Finding Aid for Church and Synagogue Records Collections, 1805-2008 Browsable list. This collection contains the records of major denominations within Alabama, including Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, Episcopal, Jewish, Methodist and Presbyterian.
 * Index to Churches in the Alabama Church and Synagogue Records Collection Database at the Alabama Archives - index.
 * Research Request Form and Instructions
 * Website

University Archives
Samford University Library 800 Lakeshore Drive Birmingham, AL 35229 Telephone:205-726-2196 E-mail: referenc@samford.edu
 * Catalog of church records in Samford University libraries
 * Alabama Genealogical Society AGS RESEARCHERS LIST

Denominational Archives
For archives of a particular religion, go to Major Religious Denominations and Their Archives.

Presbyterian Archives
Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: (215) 627-1852 Fax: (215) 627-0509

Catholic Archives

 * Diocese of Birmingham 2121 3rd Ave. P.O. Box 12047 North Birmingham, AL 35202-2047 Phone: (205) 838-8322

The diocese includes the counties of: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, Sumter, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.

Archdiocese of Mobile Archives 14 S. Franklin St. Mobile, AL 36602 Phone: (251) 415-3850

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Russell, Washington and Wilcox.

Step 4: 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 this list:
 * List of Alabama Societies

Step 5: Correspond With or Visit Local Churches.

 * Some denominations centralize storage of church records in archives.
 * The most recent records are still held in the local churches. For addresses for these, see listings under each denomination.

How to Write a Letter

 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Address Lists
Because there are so many different denominations with congregations in Alabama, the address lists merit their own page in the Wiki. To find addresses for churches, for each denomination, next go to Alabama Church Directories.