General Introduction for Family History Researchers

Church records, maintained by and for local congregations, can be a plethora of genealogical information for family historians, especially when they seek information on ancestors who lived during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when records such as census, tax, land, and newspapers were vague, incomplete, or simply did not exist. Most of the information essential to tracing your family genealogy will be contained in congregation records. Since these records were and are maintained by the congregation only, no centralized lists of members exist at church-wide/ synodical offices or archives.

Do not assume, that because you are Lutheran, or some of your relatives may have been Lutheran in the past, that all family members were Lutheran. Similarly, do not assume that because your relatives were German, Swedish, Norwegian, etc., that they were Lutheran. Be prepared to find that your relatives might not have belonged to any church. Furthermore, the term "evangelical" does not guarantee that a congregation was Lutheran. German Reformed and other Protestant groups also use this term.
Generally, most congregation records are usually composed of:

• Chronological listings of pastoral acts, such as baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials, and
• In some cases, records of communions and membership lists may be included.

More modern congregation records (ca. 1850-Present) might also include:

• Congregational annual and council meeting minutes,
• Financial and legal documents,
• Parish newsletters or other printed items, including congregational histories,
• As well as similar records for congregational organizations, such as women's, men's or youth groups.

Therefore, for the family historian, it is essential that your inquiry sent to any archives, or historical or genealogical societies contain as much information as possible, including full names, relevant dates, and place names.

When writing for information, please use the following checklist to make sure that your letter includes as much of the following information as possible. Congregation records are not usually indexed and are often in a language other than English, so that each item of information you provide will save time and effort.

1. Full name of person(s) to be researched.
2. Known or approximate date(s) of birth or Baptism, marriage, death, etc.
3. Name of state, county and town where your family lived. (If a large city is involved, include a street address, since many cities would have numerous congregations from which to choose.)
4. Name(s) of congregations(s) where your family were members.
5. Name(s) of pastors who performed Baptisms, marriages, etc. (Often on certificates that you may have among family papers.)
6. Ethnic group of your family, i.e., German, Swedish, Finnish, etc. (Prior to the 1920's most Lutherans attended congregations founded by a particular ethnic group because worship services and congregational activities were in those languages.)

If you do not have this information, it is highly recommended that you turn to other resources, such as federal census records, state tax rolls, or similar sources, before you contact a Lutheran archives. This would be especially true if you are not sure that your relatives were Lutheran.

Moreover, please bear in mind, that congregation records dating from the eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth centuries, for which you might be searching, might no longer exist. Due to natural disasters, disbandings and mergers, and poor records management procedures of the past, congregation records have been lost, destroyed, or even stolen.

Although the Region 8 Archives-Gettysburg has limited resources, the archives staff at the very least, will attempted to do the following to assist you:

1. Identify whether the congregation is active or disbanded, and whether the archives has any records from that organization, or if they have been microfilm and might be available through the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS);

2. Refer you to another archives that might have the original or microfilmed copies of the relevant congregational records.

3. Refer you to the relevant congregation, since their records are not available on microfilm and the original records they hold would have to be consulted.

Click here for more information on Genealogical Research at the Region 8 Archives