Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended

Prepare by Collecting Background Information
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 the exact details about the ancestor:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact of closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Search Home Sources

 * Thoroughly go over all home sources available to you, including family history papers, copies of records, pictures, old letters (i.e. with an old address), family bibles, journals/diaries, copies of vital record certificates and church records, memorabilia etc.
 * Interview extended family and close relatives as well as former neighbors--all of which may prove very helpful in gathering as much knowledge about an ancestor as possible.
 * Collecting Previous Research by Others Part One: Home and Relative Sources
 * Gather Family Information


 * Learn what family traditions about the church your ancestor’s may have attended. Are there any pictures of your ancestors with a church in the background?  Does anyone in the family have a baptism or marriage certificate?  Look at your ancestor’s marriage record to see if they were married by a Minister of the Gospel.  Does a family Bible exist, giving the church affiliation of your ancestor?


 * Learn the national origin of your ancestor—immigrants usually attended the same church in the new country that they had in the old country.


 * Learn what churches were available in the towns where your ancestor settled. They may have attended the local church because of its proximity, even though they were members of another church. On the other hand, your ancestor may have traveled some distance to attend their preferred church in the next town or county.  There is also the possibility that an ancestor may have started out with one church and converted to another church.  Look at county histories and city directories for this information.
 * To find county histories and city directories at FamilySearch.org, look at Digitized Books and the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * For county histories at Ancestry.com, click on search, click on the state you are searching, and click on the county you are searching.
 * To find a city directory at Ancestry.com, click on Search, and then click on City & Area Directories under Schools, Directories & Church.


 * Find an obituary of your ancestor or one of their siblings. The church your ancestor attended is often mentioned in obituaries.  Also look for funeral notices to see where the funeral took place. Newspaper websites:
 * Chronicling America
 * World Vital Records.
 * Google newspapers (this project is no longer being worked on)
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project
 * Do a Google search with keywords: "town name", "newspaper" or "state", and "digital newspapers".
 * Ancestry.com United States Obituary Collection
 * Fold3.com. Newspapers are in Non Military Collections.
 * United States Online Historical Newspapers
 * FamilySearch Catalog for your town, county, or state of research.
 * Another Resource is Library of Congress Catalogs, Newspapers in Microform: United States 1948-1983, Volume 1 and 2, Washington: Library of Congress, 1984, Film #1145942, available at the Riverton FamilySearch Library.


 * Look at cemetery records. If your ancestor was buried in a church cemetery, they would have belonged to that church at some time. Also look for sexton records of the cemetery and funeral home records, if it is possible.   Cemetery websites are:
 * Findagrave.com
 * Billiongraves.com
 * NamesInStone.com
 * Do a Google search for other online cemeteries.

Determining the Denomination: With the religious freedom in the United States, many different churches have thrived throughout the Country’s history. This may make it difficult to determine the denomination of your ancestor.
 * Check family histories to see if the church your ancestor attended has already been determined.
 * Search Digital Books and the FamilySearch Catalog at FamilySearch.org.
 * At Ancestry.com click on Card Catalog and type the family name into the keyword box.
 * Also, do a Google search for your family.

Suggestions for determining denomination:


 * Look in home sources for church certificates such as a baptism certificate or a marriage certificate. Also search for funeral notices to see where the funeral took place.
 * Obituaries may mention the church where the funeral took place.
 * Locate the marriage record or certificate for a couple. If they were married by church authority, it will state the name of the clergyman and sometimes the church.
 * Look for the cemetery they were buried in. Some churches have their own cemeteries. If they were buried in a church cemetery, they belonged to the church at one point.
 * The family Bible might reveal which church the family belonged to.
 * County histories may contain information about the local churches in the area.
 * If your ancestor lived in a large city, check the city directory to see what churches were in the neighborhood. Some denominations had congregations by ethnic type (Irish, German, English, African-American). City directories often list the pastor or priest and you may be able to determine the ethnicity of the congregation.
 * Contact the local genealogical society or public library for information on churches in the area.
 * Some communities only had one church, so most residents would have attended that church.
 * Sometimes an ancestor preferred to attend a church close to his or her home, and was not concerned about the denomination he or she attended. Check churches close to your ancestor's home.
 * Your ancestor may have traveled some distance to attend a church n the next town or county, if the denomination was important.
 * If you know your ancestor's country of origin, it can give you a clue as to their religion. Some individuals immigrated to avoid religious persecution, and may have belonged to a church not popular or common in their home country. The following table gives the more prominent churches of a particular country and the first denomination you should research for you ancestor. It also gives the American name of the church, if it changed.