Arizona Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominantly of one nationality or ethnic group.

Most church records are scattered and remain in the custody of existing churches. Some, however, have been collected into central repositories, especially those from congregations that have merged or disbanded. To find the existance of records, you may wish to write to the addresses given below to learn where records of an area are located. For churches not listed on this page, see United States Church Records for further information on repositories and collections.

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Arizona were the Roman Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and Presbyterian churches.

An inventory that can help you find church records is:


 * Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona: Division of Professional and Service Projects, WPA, 1940. book 979.1 K22a; film 908038; fiche 6051298

Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where their records are located:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
The Family History Library has an extensive collection of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints records. The library has histories of local Latter-day Saint congregations and an overview of colonization in:


 * McClintock, James H. Mormon Settlement in Arizona: A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the Desert. Phoenix, Ariz.: Manufacturing Stationers, 1921. book 979.1 K2m; film 1033844 item 10. The entire book is on Project Gutenburg.
 * Early, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church records for Arizona Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through the FamilySearch Catalog . Or by refering to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. (FHL book 979.2258 A3j; fiche 6031507). These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.
 * George S. Tanner. Mormon Settlements in Arizona. J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, 1970.  A collection of primary sources relating to the Mormon Pioneer colonization efforts along the Little Colorado River and the surrounding area. Most materials collected by George S. Tanner. Includes diaries, histories, correspondence, financial records, biographies and autobiographies, and clippings.

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Historical Society United Presbyterian Church in the United States 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: (215) 627-1852 Fax: (215) 627-0509

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Phoenix Archives 400 East Monroe St. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: (602) 354-2475 The diocese includes the counties of: Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave and Yavapai

Diocese of Tucson Archives 300 S. Tucson Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85716 Phone: (520) 886-5201

The diocese includes the counties of: Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma

The counties of Apache and Navajo are included in the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.

The Arizona Historical Society houses early Spanish Catholic Church records in collections such as “Archivo General de la Nacion” and “Archivo Colegial Franscano of Queretaro, Mexico.”

Missions
Missions were established by religious denominations to serve the Indians.


 * Calabazas
 * Bicuna
 * Guevavi
 * Purisima Concepcion
 * San Agustin de Tucson
 * San Pedro y San Pueblo de
 * San Xavier del Bac
 * Sonoita
 * Tumacacori