Massachusetts, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains church records from 1630 to 1943, from various denominations in Massachusetts. Some of the church records come from the following:
 * First Church of Christ (Ipswich)
 * Church of Christ at Cambridge
 * Trinity Methodist Episcopal (Charlestown)
 * South Congregational Church (Boston)
 * Grace Church (Boston)
 * St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Lanesborough)

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2 The records may also include:
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Race
 * Occupation
 * Cause of death

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The approximate date and or location of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information found in the church records to search for county or state vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Search for the family in census records, both federal and state
 * Search for the family in land and probate records in the town where they lived
 * Search the town records for information on the individual and their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Massachusetts.
 * Massachusetts Guided Research
 * Massachusetts Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * edited by Rhonda R. McClure, Genealogist's handbook for New England research 6th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society®, 2022 FHL 974 D27mr
 * Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, CG, How to find your family history in U.S. church records: a genealogist's guide Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 2019 FHL 973 K27m
 * Harold Field Worthley, An inventory of the records of the particular (Congregational) churches of Massachusetts : gathered 1620-1805Cambridge, England : Harvard University Press, c1970 FHL 974.4 K23w
 * Massachusetts, church records : COLLECTION RECORD, 1630-1943

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Carroll D. Wright, commissioner, Report on the custody and condition of the public records of parishes, towns, and counties. Boston, Massachusetts : Wright & Potter, 1889
 * compiled by Ella May Swint Lewis. ''Baptisms, marriages, and deaths, 1736-1809, First Church, Springfield, Mass...(1938)
 * compiled under the supervision of Richard Herndon ; edited by Edwin M. Bacon.Boston of to-day, a glance at its history and characteristics : with biographical sketches and portraits of many of its professional and business men. Boston, Massachusetts : Post Pub., 1892
 * James L. Bowen. History of the Thirty-Seventh Regiment, Massachusetts volunteers, in the Civil War of 1861-1865 : with a comprehensive sketch of the doings of Massachusetts as a state and of the principal campaigns of the war.Holyoke, Massachusetts : C.W. Bryan, 1884
 * Andrew H. Ward. History of the town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts : from its settlement in 1717 to 1829, with other matter relating thereto not before published, including an extensive family register. Boston, Massachusetts : Samuel G. Drake, 1847
 * compiled by Stephen Paschall Sharple.Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England, 1632-1830 : comprising the ministerial records of baptisms, marriages, deaths, admission to covenant and communion, dismissals and church proceedings.Boston, Massachusetts : Eben Putnam, 1906

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.