FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject World Survey Church Records Part 1

Project Leader
Becca Curtis

Purpose
The purpose of this project is to add content to every country Church Records page. Each Church Records page will have information on every major Christian denomination in the country. Such information will include: how to find the records, historical background, and information recorded in the records. For part 1 we will be focusing on finding online records on FamilySearch.

Instructions
Go to the Task List and choose a country to work on. Click on the "Sandbox" next to the country. This is where all the content will be added. Once a country is finished, I will move over the content from the sandbox to the actual Church Records page.

Step 1: How to Find the Records
The first step in research is figuring out how to find the records/where the records are located.

This heading will include information concerning: To find this information, go to these websites:
 * Where the physical records are kept (such as in national archives or individual parishes)
 * How they can be accessed (such as the contact information)
 * Any other information or resources the patron may need to locate the records.

FamilySearch Historical Records
 Go to FamilySearch Historical Records. Underneath "Research by Location" click on the African continent and then choose the country you are working on.
 * World Survey Church Records 1.png

Look at all the online collections to see if there are any church records.
 * World Survey Church Records 2.png

If there are church record collections, add them as a bullet point underneath the "Online Resources and Websites" subheading for the correct denomination. 

How to add collection

 * Template for adding the collection:

*YEAR-YEAR: [URL Collection name] at [URL General website name] – index/images
 * For example (would go under Catholic Records heading):
 * 1787-1957: Cape Verde, Catholic Church Records, 1787-1957 at FamilySearch – index and images

FamilySearch Catalog
 Go to FamilySearch Catalog. Click on "Keywords" underneath "Search by:"
 * Church records 11 img 1.png

In the Keywords search box type in: COUNTRY church</li>
 * Church records 11 img 2.png

Click Search.</li>
 * World Survey Church Records 4.png

A list of results will appear.</li>
 * Church records 11 img 3.png

Only click on collections where the author is a religion or archives, NOT a person. Ex: Catholic Church or Gereformeerde Kerk.</li> After clicking on a record collection, determine if the images are online (there will be a camera in the "Format" column).</li>
 * Page with look like:
 * World Survey Church Records 8.png
 * Look for the camera:
 * World Survey Church Records 10.png

If there are online church record collections, add them as a bullet point underneath the "Online Resources and Websites" subheading for the correct denomination.</li> </ol>

How to add collection

 * Template for adding the collection:

*YEAR-YEAR: [URL Collection name] at [URL General website name] – index/images
 * For example (would go under Dutch Reformed Records heading):
 * 1918-1958: Parish registers, 1918-1958 on the FamilySearch Catalog – images

Note: To determine which church these records belong to, look at the "Notes" section on the page.</li>
 * World Survey Church Records 13.png

Note: If there is a red banner underneath Notes with a link to an indexed collection, click on that link and also add this indexed collection.
 * Church records 11 img 4.png

If More Than 5 Collections for a Church
Sometimes there are 10 or 15 collections in the FamilySearch Catalog for a specific religion. If this is the case, instead of listing all 10, list the first 5 and then add this line under the "Online Resources and Websites" heading:


 * More CHURCH records are available on the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for places within COUNTRY.


 * Change CHURCH to the correct denomination and change COUNTRY to the country you are working on.

Step 2: Information Recorded in the Records
The final step in research is figuring out the information recorded in the records.

Under this heading: '''Only add information under this heading if it is easy to find. Do not search for this.'''
 * Add each record type kept by the church (usually baptism, marriage, burial, and sometimes membership records)
 * Bold the record type
 * List in bullet points the information found in each record type

The location of this information depends on where the collection is found:

FamilySearch Historical Records
 Click on the collection and then click on the "Learn more" button near the top of the page. </li> Scroll down to the section that lists what can be found in the records. </li> Add this information underneath the "Information Recorded in the Records" heading.</li> </ol>

FamilySearch Catalog
 Click on the collection and look underneath the "Notes" section. This section usually describes the information found in the records. </li> Add this information underneath the "Information Recorded in the Records" heading.</li> </ol>

Examples

 * Angola Church Records
 * Cape Verde Church Records
 * Kenya Church Records
 * South Africa Church Records
 * Zambia Church Records