Virgin Islands US, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

U.S. Virgin Islands

What Is in This Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1765 to 2010.

The collection includes birth/baptisms, marriages, and death/burials from Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church, Reformed Dutch Church, Episcopal Church. Also included are other miscellaneous records such as communions, roll of members, license to marry, confirmations, paternity acknowledgments, refuge regulations, letters, finances, pastoral acts, pew rentals, etc.

This collection of church records includes records for several church denominations in St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and covers the years 1803 to 2010.

The Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded by Danes in 1666 on the island of St. Thomas; this was the official church of the Danish West Indies. Since 1917, with the transfer of the Virgin Islands to the United States, Frederick Lutheran Church has been part of the Lutheran Church in America.

Church records were created to record church sacraments associated with the life events of the parishioners, such as baptism, marriage, and burial.

This collection of church books is a reliable and a good source for genealogical research. Accuracy in the records for such information as dates, ages, and places is dependent upon the accuracy of the person giving the information and the accuracy of the recording by the ecclesiastical officer.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of child
 * Names and ages of parents
 * Names of sponsors/witnesses

Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of bride and groom
 * Marital status (condition) of bride and groom
 * Residences of bride and groom
 * Married by banns or license
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiating minister

Death
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Last residence of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Cause of death
 * Date of burial
 * Place of burial
 * Officiating priest
 * When and where baptized
 * To whom married
 * Name of slave/plantation owner
 * Disease or cause of death

Burial
 * Date of death
 * Name and age of deceased person
 * Occupation, and last residence of deceased
 * Place of birth
 * Place of burial
 * Legitimate or illegitimate
 * Marital status
 * Name of officiating minister

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The first name of the person
 * The approximate date of the event and place where the event occurred
 * The name of the parents or spouse

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Island
 * 2) Select City or Town
 * 3) Select Denomination or Parish
 * 4) Select Record Type and Year Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities

Record Finder

 * Consult the U.S. Virgin Islands Record Finder to search other records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.