Baptism Records << Religious Records <<

Baptism Records Guide

Religious Records-
Baptism Records
What's In Them
Where to Find Them
How to Use Them***

Almost always include:

  • Individual's name(usually a child)
  • Parents' names (if a child)
  • Child's date of birth and/or baptism (if for an infant baptism)


  • May also include:
  • Sponsors' names
  • Parents' residence
  • Name of officiating clergyman
  • Legitimacy of child
  • Margin notes about other events (e.g. some clergymen will note a person's marriage or even emigration)
  • Marks or notes about the child's death if he or she died young
  • In very rare cases, names of one or more of the child's grandparents
  • IGI:
    http://familysearch.org

    FHL Catalog:
    http://familysearch.org/ search/ searchcatalog.asp

    Direct Contact with the Church

    Centralized Church Archives

    State or local libraries or societies and/or compiled records for that locality as found in http://www.byub.org/ ancestors/ resourceguide

    College & Special Libraries (e.g., DAR)

    Other churches of the same denomination in that area

  • To find an ancestor's birth date
  • To discover the names of the preceding generation
  • To find a family's place of residence
  • To find clues to family relationships (e.g., through names of sponsors)
  • To learn about previously unknown children who died young
  • In cases of multiple marriages by one of the parents, to determine which one a particular child came from
  • To learn about changes in church affiliation