India, Madras Diocese Protestant Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of Protestant church records for baptisms, marriages, and deaths for the Madras Diocese, Church of South India. It will include records from 1743-1990.

A diocese is a region directed by a bishop of a Christian organization. A diocese is then divided into parishes which are overseen by a parish priest. The Church of South India was created as a successor to the Church of England after India declared independence. It is a union of Anglican, Protestant, Presbyterian and Methodist organizations.

Part of this collection may be in Hindi. See the section titled For Help Reading These Records for translation tools.

Collection Contents
This collection contains baptism, marriage and burial church records.

Baptism records usually contain the following:
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Given name of child
 * Date of birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Parents’ occupations
 * Residence
 * Who performed the baptism

Marriage records usually contain the following:
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of bride and groom
 * Previous marital status of bride and groom
 * Residence of bride and groom
 * Fathers’ names
 * Names of witnesses
 * Who performed the marriage

Burial records usually contain the following:
 * Date of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Deceased’s profession
 * Cause of death
 * Who performed the burial

How Do I Search the Collection?
This section provides information on how to search the collection, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * The area where they lived
 * The general time frame of the event you are searching for

Remember that your ancestor may have used different names at different times.

To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Record Type and Year Range' category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Hindi. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:
 * India Language and Languages
 * Hindi to English Translation

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?
If you can’t find your ancestor, search the records of nearby localities, such as India, Madras and Tamil Nadu Parish Records (FamilySearch Historical Records) and India, Hindu Pilgrimage Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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