Taiwan Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Taiwan, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites
'''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.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Taiwan, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Taiwan, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
Freedom of religion is inscribed in the constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Christianity in Taiwan constituted 3.9% of the population according to the census of 2005. Christians on the island included approximately 600,000 Protestants, 300,000 Catholics and a small number of Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was started in the 19th century by James Laidlaw Maxwell of the Presbyterian Church of England and George Leslie Mackay of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Today about 30 percent of the native Taiwanese belong to the Taiwanese Presbyterian denomination. A number of denominations (including the Baptist, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Adventists) arrived on the island nation in the wake of the expulsion of foreign missionaries from China, and the 1949 retreat of Nationalist troops to Taiwan.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
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 China, Taiwan.
 * b. Click on Places within China, Taiwan and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. 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.

Writing for Records
Mandarin is the primary language used in business and education, and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Traditional Chinese is used as the writing system. Some 70 per cent of the population belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and speak Hokkien natively in addition to Mandarin. You will probably need to write local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then contact a a Mandarin translation service.
 * Maps.me Church Listings for Taiwan

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Taiwan

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Taiwan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Between 1.5% and 2% of the population of Taiwan are Catholic. Before the end of World War II the Catholic Church had a very minor presence in Taiwan, based mainly in the south of the island and centred on Spanish Dominican priests who went there from the Philippines in the 1860s. The end of World War II and the following years saw a mass migration of religious communities from mainland China as Communist persecution began to take effect following the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949. As a result, the Catholic Church has many Mandarin-speaking mainland immigrants.

Online Records
Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
In June 1956, four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the first to ever visit the region, arrived in Taiwan after having studied Mandarin for nine months. At that time, the only members of the Church in Taiwan were a small group of American military servicemen. Two large chapels, located in Taipei and Kaohsiung, were completed in 1960. By 1975, there were 30 congregations in Taiwan, with a total of almost 7,000 members. Total Church Membership: 61,034. Congregations: 117.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Taiwan

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Taiwan

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Taiwan

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Taiwan

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Taiwan

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Taiwan