Methodist Church in the United States

United States   Church Records   Methodist Church Records 

History in the United States
The history of Methodism in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century. Following the American Revolution, most of the Anglican clergy who had been in America went back to England. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, sent Thomas Coke to America where he and Francis Asbury founded the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was to later establish itself as the largest denomination in America during the 19th century.

Methodism thrived in America thanks to the First and Second Great Awakenings beginning in the 1700s. Various African-American denominations were formed during this period, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the early 20th century, many of the splintered Methodist groups joined together to form The Methodist Church (USA). Another merger in 1968 resulted in the formation of The United Methodist Church from the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) and the Methodist Church.

Other smaller Methodist denominations in the United States, including those that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church, exist, such as the Free Methodist Church, Evangelical Methodist Church, Congregational Methodist Church, Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, among others. Spurce: Wikipedia

Methodist Religion Family Tree
This Methodist Family Tree diagrams the development of the various branches of Methodist religion.

Look for online records.
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. More are being added all the time. Partner websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and American Ancestors can be searched free-of-charge at any Family History Center.
 * New York and Vicinity, United Methodist Church Records, 1775-1949, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * New Jersey, United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * Indiana, United Methodist Church Records, 1837-1970, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * Missouri, United Methodist Church Records, 1856-1970, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * Illinois, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1824-2009, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * New Mexico and Texas, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1870-1970, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)
 * Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, index and images, at Ancestry.com, ($)

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * There are thousands of entries of digitized Methodist church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog state-wide, county-wide, or for a town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * 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 statewide records:
 * a. Enter your state name in the "Place" search field of FamilySearch Catalog. You will see a list of topics and, at the top, the phrase "Places within United States, [STATE]".
 * b. Click on "Church records" in the topic list. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.


 * To find county-wide records:
 * c. From the original page, click on Places within United States, [STATE] and a list of counties will appear.
 * d. Click on your county.
 * e. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.


 * To find town records:
 * f. From the list of counties, click on Places within United States, [STATE], [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * g. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * h. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * i. 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.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Address lists:
 * United Methodist Church Find a Church
 * Local church records are kept at the local church. If that church closes and merges with another church, then the records go to the new church.  If the church closes and there is no successor church, then the records are usually transferred to the annual conference archives.  You will need to contact the conference archives to learn more about the status of the church and how to go about finding its records.  Use on-line conference directory to locate the person you need to contact.


 * African Methodist Episcopal Church Directory
 * African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Directory
 * Christian Methodist Episcopal Find a Church
 * Evangelical United Brethren Church Find a Church
 * Wesleyan Church Find a Church
 * Free Methodist Church of North America
 * Union American Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Congregational Methodist Church Finder
 * African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church

There are several much smaller Methodist churches. Google "Churches near [TOWN], inserting the name of your ancestors' town to find other churches in the area.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

United Methodist Church

 * United Methodist Archives Center
 * Drew University Library
 * P.O. Box 127
 * Madison, NJ 07940
 * Telephone: 201-408-3189
 * Fax: 201-408-3909


 * Website
 * Search the archives
 * UMAC Archival Catalog

There are two resources for doing genealogy research on this site: Clergy Information If you have a clergy-person in your family tree we may be able to provide some biographical information about them. You will want to read about our clergy research service in order to understand what we can offer and how to make a request. You should first check the Index to Conference Memoirs to see if your ancestor is listed.

Baptism and Local Church Membership Baptism and local church membership records are the two most frequently requested materials. The General Commission on Archives and History does not hold such records. In United Methodist practice these records are kept at the local church. If the local church has closed and merged with another church then the records should be transferred to the new church. If a church closes and there is no successor then the records are transferred to the annual conference archives - the regional depository. When searching for such records the best place to start is with the annual conference archvist. The Directory of Annual Conference Archives for The United Methodist Church will list the appropriate contact person. Look for the contact information for the archivist, historian or researcher.
 * THE DREW UNIVERSITY METHODIST LIBRARY CHURCH FILE COLLECTION
 * This collection of folders is available for researchers at the United Methodist Archives Center at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey,USA. The Wilson Reading Room is open from 9AM–5 PM Monday through Friday with the exception of some holidays. For questions about access and/or availability please contact Christopher Anderson, Methodist Librarian &Coordinator of Special Collections, atcjanders@drew.edu or 973.408.3910.


 * General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) of the United Methodist Church: Guide: How to Research Your Family
 * American Methodism Project: The GCAH has teamed with other United Methodist-affiliated libraries, seminaries, and archives, and the Internet Archive to create the American Methodism Project, "a digitized collection of interdisciplinary and historical materials related to American Methodism."


 * Historical Society of the United Methodist Church
 * PO Box 127
 * Madison, NJ 07940


 * Website
 * Promotes interest in the study, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents.

African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.)
Payne Theological Seminary and A.M.E. Church Archive Reverdy C. Ransom Memorial Library Payne Theological Seminary 1230 Wilberforce-Clifton Road P.O. Box 474 Wilberforce, OH45384 Phone:(937) 376-2946 ext. 204 E-mail:library@payne.edu
 * Website

Princeton Theological Seminary Library 25 Library Place Princeton, NJ 08540 P.O. Box 821 Princeton, NJ 08542 USA Phone:(609) 497-7875 Email:library@ptsem.edu


 * Website
 * Digital Collections Overview
 * Methodist Church Records

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E.Zion)
Heritage Hall Archives and Research Center Livingstone College 701 West Monroe Street Salisbury, NC 28144 Telephone: (704) 797-1094 Email: heritage_hall@hotmail.com
 * Website

African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church Collection Brooklyn Public Library 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY, 11238 Phone: 718.230.2762 E-mail: bcref@bklynlibrary.org
 * Website
 * Finding Aid
 * Collection Inventory

Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.)
Collins-Callaway Library Archives and Special Collections Paine College 1235 Fifteenth Street Augusta, GA 30901 Phone: (706) 821-8200 or 1-800-476-7703
 * Christian Methodist Episcopal Church File, 1905-1961

The Wesleyan Church
The Wesleyan Church Archives and Historical Library Phone: 317-774-3864 Email: higlej@wesleyan.org
 * Website
 * The Archives of The Wesleyan Church houses the official repository of historical documents for the Church worldwide. This includes documents of the Pilgrim Holiness Church and Wesleyan Methodist Church prior to their merger in June of 1968, as well as later additions from the Standard Church of Canada and the Evangelical Church. Documents include General Conference and district conference minutes, local church histories and historical data from Wesleyan educational institutions. There are also biographies of founders and leaders of the denomination, as well as others who have been committed to evangelism, missions and social justice concerns.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held.


 * Directory of Regional Historical Societies
 * Archivists can advise on the location of records for churches within their conference.

Information in the Records

 * Membership records include baptisms, probationary or preparatory memberships, and memberships in full communion.
 * Sunday School attendance records
 * Marriages
 * Funerals

Minister Lists

 * List of Pastors and Ministers A list of Methodist Ministers] and the churches or circuits they served, extracted from the archives of the church minutes.


 * Methodist Conference Transfers 1842-1892 A list of transfers of Methodist ministers from one conference to another, extracted from the archives of the church minutes.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by gathering in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.