Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Sri Lanka, Colombo District Nederlands Hervormde Kerk Records

Record Description
This collection contains records from 1677 to 1990.

The earliest records are handwritten in Dutch and are badly water damaged. From the 19th century on, the records are recorded in English. The later records (mid 19th century on) are on printed forms filled in by the record keeper. After the 20th century the records are on printed forms in English and Tamil.

This collection was created to record the baptisms, marriages, and burial information of the individuals who were members of the religious organization.

This collection includes the following records:


 * Accounts
 * Applications for Baptism
 * Baptism Registers
 * Baptisms
 * Baptisms and Marriages
 * Communion Roll
 * Correspondence
 * Deaths
 * English Bible
 * Inventory of Records
 * Lapidarium Zeylanicum (Monumental Inscriptions)
 * Local Consistory Correspondence
 * Marriages
 * Minute Books
 * Psalm Book
 * The Herald (Monthly Newsletter)
 * Visitors Book
 * Other Miscellaneous Records

The Dutch Reformed Church was established in Sri Lanka (then known as Celyon) in 1648. A church was established in the city of Colombo in 1652. This collection contains records from various Dutch Reformed churches in the area of Colombo and Sri Lanka.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Record Content
The baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * By whom baptized
 * Child's date of birth
 * Name and gender of child
 * Father's name and occupation
 * Mother's maiden name
 * Parents' residence
 * Names of the Godparents

The marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Name, age and civil status of groom
 * Profession and race of groom
 * Residence of groom
 * Name of groom's father and his profession
 * Name, age and civil status of bride
 * Profession and race of bride
 * Residence of bride
 * Name of bride's father and his profession
 * Date and place where marriage was solemnized
 * Names and residences of witnesses

The death records usually contain the following information:


 * Date of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Officiating Minister

How to Use the Record
To search the birth records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of parents
 * Approximate year of birth
 * Province

To search the marriage records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of parents or bride or groom
 * Approximate year of marriage
 * Province

To search the death records in this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Approximate year of death
 * Province

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "District" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which will take you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Sri Lanka GenWeb

Related Wiki Articles
Sri Lanka

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1677-1990

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record Collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.