Armenia Church Book - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Հայաստան, ծխական գրանցումների մատյաններ

Record Description
This is a collection of church records from various religions as acquired from the Armenian Central Historical Archive. However, the majority of the records are from the Armenian Apostolic Church. This collection includes records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths from 1838 to 1929.

These records are in Armenian. For translation help, see the For Help Reading These Records section of this article.

Record Content
Baptismal records may contain the following information:
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name of individual
 * Birth date
 * Parents’ names
 * Grandparents’ names

Marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the couple
 * Date of birth or ages
 * Parents’ names
 * Witnesses’ names
 * Residences

Death and burial records may contain the following information:
 * Date and place of death
 * Deceased's name
 * Age at death
 * Marital status
 * If married, the spouse’s name
 * Parents’ names
 * Burial place

How to Use the Record
As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname as well as 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.

If you are unable to find your ancestors, try checking for variant spellings of the surname or searching the records of nearby localities.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial collection page ⇒ Select the “Province” ⇒ Select the “Place, Parish” ⇒ Select the “Year, Volume, Record Type” which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image and compare the information you find with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is the correct person. You may need to compare the information in more than one image to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Armenian. For help reading the records, see the following resources:
 * Armenian Alphabet -Hayeren-
 * Omniglot: Armenian language background and resources
 * Armenian Translator

Using the Information
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 such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. 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.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * 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.

Related Websites

 * National Archives of Armenia
 * Armenian Genealogy &amp; Family History Resources
 * Armenian Catholic Church
 * Armenian Church (in Armenian)
 * Map of Armenia 1865
 * A History of Armenia
 * Armenia Websites

Related Wiki Articles

 * Armenia
 * Christian Church Records in Turkey
 * Armenian Localities
 * Armenia Geography

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: