List of Useful Church References
Church Records
 This article is part of a series. |
| Overview of Church Records |
| Types of Church Records |
| Finding Church Records |
| List of Selected Denominations |
| List of Useful Church References |
| Topics |
This article originally appeared in "Church Records" by Elizabeth Crabtree Wells, MA, MLS in The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy
Allison, William H. Inventory of Unpublished Material for American Religious History in Protestant Church Archives and Their Repositories. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institute, 1910.
American Library Directory. New York: R. R. Bowker. This directory can be found in the reference area of most libraries. In smaller libraries, it might be found in the librarian's office.
Carroll, Bret E. Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Check List of Historical Records Survey Publication: Bibliography of Research Projects Reports. WPA, 1943; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998.
Dunkle, Robert J., and Ann S. Lainhart, transcribers. Records of the Churches of Boston. CD-ROM. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003.
Gaustad, Edwin Scott, and Philip L. Barlow. New Historical Atlas of Religion in America. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
, and Leigh E. Schmidt. The Religious History of America: the Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today. Rev. ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFancisco, 2002.
Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000.
Hastings, Hugh. Ecclesiastical Records of the State of New York. Albany: J. B. Lyons, state printer, 1901'16. Hebert, Donald J. A Guide to Church Records in Louisiana. Eunice, La.: the author, 1975. See also htptp://www.acadian-cajun.com/hebpubl.htm.
Hefner, Loretta L. The WPA Historical'¯Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes, and Transcripts. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1980.
Holcomb, Brent. South Carolina Marriages 1688'1799. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995.
. South Carolina Marriages 1800'1820. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995.
. Supplement to South Carolina Marriages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1995.
Holbrook, Jay Mack. Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Oxford, Mass.: Holbrook Institute, 1983. Series on 30 microfiche.
Konig, David Thomas, ed. Plymouth Church Records 1620'1859. CD-ROM. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004.
Macy, Harry, Jr. 'Dutch Reformed Records of New York City in the NYG&B Library.' NYG&B Newsletter (Spring 1994). It may also be found online at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
Mead, Frank S., Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood. Handbook of American Denominations. 11th ed. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001.
Melton, J. Gordon. National Directory of Churches, Synagogues, and Other Houses of Worship, ed. by John Kroll. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1994.
Milner, Anita Cheek, comp. Newspaper Indexes: A Location and Subject Guide for Researchers. 3 vols. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1977, 1979, 1982.
Kirkham, E. Kay. A Survey of American Church Record: Major and Minor Denominations before 1880'1890. 4th ed. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1978.
Newman, William M., and Peter L. Halvorson. Atlas of American Religion: The Denominational Era, 1776'1990. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Altamira Press, 2000. Pennsylvania German Church Records 1729'1870. CD-ROM #7130. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., n.d.
Pettee, Julia. List of Churches: Official Forms of the Names for Denominational Bodies With Brief Descriptive and Historical Notes. Chicago: American Library Association, 1948.
Sweet, William Warren. Religion on the American Frontier, 1783'1840: A Collection of Source Materials. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1940, 1964. Separate volumes for Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians.
Weber, Wayne D. 'Genealogical Research in the Archives of the Billy Graham Center.' 2 parts. FORUM 15, no. 2; 15, no. 3 (Summer and Fall 2003).
Internet Resources
Use the Internet to search catalogs of libraries and repositories or to find a Web page dedicated to a particular denomination, topic, or person in American religious history. Some sites which aid in this are:
American Council of Churches. The Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. New York: National Council of Churches, 2003.
American Society of Church History.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC). Washington D.C.: Library of Congress, 1959'. Entries submitted before 1986 are in book format. After 1986, online at http://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc.
Questia.com offers full page online text of many religious history books and articles (including many older and hard-to-find titles).
