FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Pennsylvania/Tasks-Church Records Intro 2

WikiProject Pennsylvania Progress Chart  Pennsylvania Wiki Project Task - Church Records Intro 2

Task
Wiki Project Pennsylvania Tasks - Church Records Intro 2

Description
Locate information about the churches in your county using county histories and add it to the Intro about how to access county church records.

Instructions
1. Review some of the county histories in the FHLC for the county you are researching. You are specifically looking for churches in the county.

2. Once you have located an appropriate history, look for the section containing the history of the churches in your county. There should be a chapter devoted to church history.

3. For each church denomination you find information on in the history book, rewrite in a concise manner any pertinent information about the history of that denomination. Use Berks County Church Records as an example.

4. For each denomination you rewrite information, add the denomination heading if necessary using a Heading 5. Paste the paragraph of information directly below the new heading you created.

5.Cite the information you have just rewritten from the book/books by doing the following:


 * 5a. Using wikitext, place the citation right at the end of the sentence or paragraph you are citing. Use the following example as a guideline for creating the citation for the book you used:




 * 5b. Or, in Richtext click on the &lt;R&gt; button on the left on the tool bar. Once the new window is open insert your citation using the citation in 5a as a guide.

6. Before you leave the page, make sure there is a "Reference" heading (usually a Heading 3) at the bottom of the page - but before the nav box. If the Reference heading is not there, add the following:


 * === References ===

7. Add the following directly after the References heading you just added in #6.



Baptists
Baptists settled in Berks County about 1738 along the Tulpehocken creek by individuals from the counties of Chester and Philadelphia. Two congregations were formed but by 1774 both had disappeared from the Tulpehocken region.

Brethren
Also known as "Dunkards" or "German Baptists," the Brethren were in the Berks County area as early as 1724. However, the first Brethren congregation was settled in 1723 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Early Berks County congregations were located near Pricetown, Millersburg and Oley with additional groups in the townships of Tulpehocken, Upper Tulpehocken and Bern.

Church Records
Many denominations dot the landscape of Berks County. Visiting the church your ancestor attended is recommended; however, many times, due to distance, that is not possible. The Historical Society of Berks County has an on-line index of more then 1.2 millions names, gleaned from the records of more than 300 local churches. It is not a complete index but still worth your time if you are looking for baptism, marriage, and burial records. The index is searchable in numerous ways, but searching by last name or church name is probably most popular. The index lists the name of the record, volume and page number where the individual record can be found. The volume and page number refer to books located at the historical society. To view the actual record, use the printable on-line form that can be mailed to obtain a copy of the record or visit the society. There is a fee for acquiring the record by mail.

The Berks County Genealogical Societyhas various records for churches throughout the Berks County area. However, the society has not put the records on-line and to view the records one must go to the society.

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Berks County, Pennsylvania Church Records in online catalogs like:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
 * (For instructions see FS Catalog Place-name Search).

County-wide Database - Multi-denominational

 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com – $; This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1729-1881 – Pennsylvania Church Records - Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, 1729-1881 at Ancestry.com – $; incomplete

Baptists
Baptists settled in Berks County about 1738 along the Tulpehocken creek by individuals from the counties of Chester and Philadelphia. Two congregations were formed but by 1774 both had disappeared from the Tulpehocken region.


 * Southampton Old School Baptist Church at USGenWeb - index only; original name may have been Pennypack(Pennepack) Church

Brethren
Also known as "Dunkards" or "German Baptists," the Brethren were in the Berks County area as early as 1724. However, the first Brethren congregation was settled in 1723 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Early Berks County congregations were located near Pricetown, Millersburg and Oley with additional groups in the townships of Tulpehocken, Upper Tulpehocken and Bern.

Moravian

 * 1758 - 1800 York County, Pennsylvania, 1758-1800: First Moravian Church at Ancestry.com - $; index only

Presbyterian
While never a denomination of prominence in Berks County, their beginnings were early in the county. Organized in 1812 the First Presbyterian Church is currently located at 37 South Fifth Street in Reading, PA. There are currently five Presbyterian churches in the city of Reading and the surrounding area. Currently the Historical of Berks County has only records for First Presbyterian. Additional records may be located at the individual churches.


 * Chanceford Township, York County, Pennsylvania Church Records at Ancestry.com - $; index only

Roman Catholic

 * 1803-1913 – St John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church at USGenWeb - index only; located in Haycock Township