New York, Buffalo, St. Paul's Episcopal Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of images of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York. Only burial records go beyond the 1950s. This collection is being published as images become available.

For a list of records by document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Marriage records usually include the following:


 * Names of bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * May include marital status and titles
 * May include the names of witnesses

How to Use the Record
To begin your search you will need to know the following information:


 * The ancestor’s name
 * The approximate date of the event such as the baptism or marriage

Search the Collection
To search the collection ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page. ⇒"Record Type, Date Range and Volume" ⇒Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information in the record. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the baptism to confirm a person’s birth date and place. These are an excellent substitute for civil birth records.
 * Use the age given in the death or burial records to calculate a birth date.
 * Use marriage records to confirm the marriage date and place and to begin compiling a family group. *Use church records in general to identify other family members who may have served as sponsors or witnesses.
 * Use the date of the event along with the locality to find the family in census records and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Church records are considered a primary source and are an excellent substitute for civil records. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the minister, or a clerk appointed by the minister, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred.
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents.
 * If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents.
 * Continue to search the records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were in the congregation.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names.
 * Check the records of other congregations and other religious denominations in the area or nearby communities. It is common for families to switch or to be divided into different religious groups. For information on other Episcopal parished in the diocese, contact the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York Archives.
 * Check with local genealogical and historical societies to see if they have indexed local church records.

Related Websites

 * St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral Archives
 * Index to Episcopal Church Records
 * Church Records in Microfilm and Print
 * Episcopal Diocese of Western New York Archives
 * Western New York Genealogical Society

Related Wiki Articles
New York Church Records

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: New York, Buffalo, St. Paul's Episcopal Church Records, 1812-1970

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.