Georgia Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Georgia were the Baptists and Methodists. The largest collection of Georgia church records can be found at the Georgia Department of Archives and History. The archives borrowed pre-1940 church records from many local congregations and preserved them on microfilm. The collection is continually growing but is not complete.

The Family History Library has some Georgia church records, including records for Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian congregations. Most are from the Georgia Department of Archives and History. You may also want to use the library's histories of the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and others.

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

Baptist
Georgia Baptist Historical Collection Eugene W. Stetson Memorial Library Mercer University Macon, Ga 31207 Internet: http://www.sbhla.org/links.htm

The Family History Library has microfilmed some research materials at Mercer University. For example, FHL film 204489 includes ten histories of various Baptist associations. There are also histories and inventories such as the following:

Inventory of the Church Archives of Georgia: Atlanta Association of Baptist Churches. Atlanta, Georgia: Georgia Historical Records Survey, 1941. (FHL book 975.8 K2hb; film 1425645 item 3.)

Campbell, Jesse H. Georgia Baptists: Historical and Biographical. Macon, Georgia: J.W. Burke &amp; Company, 1874. (FHL book 975.8 K2c; film 1033617 item 3; 1847 edition on film 206288 item 2.)

History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia: J.P. Harrison &amp; Company, 1881. (FHL film 896565.)

Methodist
United Methodist Museum P.O. Box 24081 St. Simons Island, GA 31522 Telephone: 912-638-4050 FAX: 912-638-9050 E-mail Address: [mailto:methmuse@bellsouth.net methmuse@bellsouth.net ] Internet: http://www.gcah.org/Conference/umac/sga.htm

For a history of the Methodist Church, see Harold Lawrence, Methodist Preachers in Georgia 1783-1900 (Tignall, Georgia: Boyd Pub., 1984; FHL book 975.8 K2L).

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Atlanta 680 W. Peachtree Street, N.W. Atlanta, GA 30308 Internet: http://www.archatl.com/

Archdiocese of Savannah P.O. Box 8789 Savannah, GA 31412 Internet: http://www.diosav.org/