Church records can provide an abundance of information if you know where to look. The earliest record for a child born into a church-going family may be a baptism or christening record.
Let's explore a little about these records in "Along Those Lines . . ." this week.
Background
The church rite of baptism or christening is one used to accept an individual into the church. Baptism involves the immersion of the individual's body in water or the sprinkling of water on him or her. It represents the cleansing of sin and the total acceptance into the church. Christening rites vary from church to church and place to place. In all cases, the parents present the child to the church for an official naming ceremony and induction into that church. Baptism is usually a part of the ceremony but not always; baptism may occur at a later date. In the case of christening, and sometimes as a part of baptism, one or more godparents are usually named. Godparents act as sponsors, per se, for the child. The godparent role has expanded over time to encompass one as a guardian in the event of the death of the parents but this is not the traditional role as seen by the church in the baptism or christening rite.
Baptism and Christening Records
Baptism and christening records contain essential information about the child and its parents, including:
Child's Name—This may include only the given name and surname or may include a long list of given and names honoring other persons.
Parents' Names—This includes the given names of the parents and heir surname. In rare instances you may find the mother's maiden name included.
Date of Birth—This may be the only place in your research that you will find this piece of information. It is no wonder that a baptism or christening record is used as a proof in obtaining passports or other identification papers from a government or as proof of age for collection of Social Security benefits.
Date of Baptism or Christening—This is a key date for the individual's acceptance into the church.
Godparents Names—The names of godparents are recorded in church records where the godparent acts as a sponsor for the person being baptized or christened.
A typical listing of a baptism in a church ledger, parish register, or other membership roll might read as follows:
Mary Allen Morgan, d. of Samuel G. and Minnie Morgan, born June 14, 1905, was baptized July 2, 1905.
A listing for a christening might read as follows:
Elizabeth Holder, d. of G. B. and Penelope Holder, b. July 19, 1885, c. July 26, 1885. Godpts. Mr. & Mrs. George S. Black.
Before the U.S. Civil War, the children of slaves were sometimes baptized or christened in their master's church, in which case their records may be found among the slaveholder's church records. Seldom will you find a surname for the slave. Instead, you may see the notation 'o.' which indicates 'owned by' and sometimes a notation to indicate the sex of the slave. A christening record for a slave might appear as follows:
Caroline -f ; o. John Knox. b. 3 Oct. 1793. c. 17 Nov. 1793.
As you can see, the format and content of these three records differs a bit but the essential birth date information is there.
Using These Records
Baptism and christening records can provide some substantial leads. The fact that they are recorded in the church or parish records should encourage you to ask and look for other records for additional records. As an example, I located a record of the baptism of my grandfather at age six in one church in Georgia. That stirred me to look for other records about him and his family. I located the following among the church membership records and church minutes:
- Membership transfer letters for his parents from a church in Bradley, TN, three years before;
- Baptism record for his younger brother;
- Confirmation record for my grandfather at age 12;
- Confirmation record for his younger brother at age 12;
- Marriage record for my grandfather;
- Records of my great-grandfather's service as a church elder;
- Death records for both my great-grandparents;
- Baptism records for two of my aunts; and
- Records of the creation of membership transfer letters for my grandfather and his family to a church in Mebane, NC.
As you can see, from a single baptism record, I was able to trace the family backward to Tennessee and forward to another church in North Carolina. It was like having a road map to track the family line through three geographical locations without using the census, and I was able to determine precise times of movement based on the church membership transfer letters.
The importance of such records for slaves cannot be overemphasized. Not only should an African American researcher be reviewing land and property, tax and court records, investigation of the slaveholder's church records can provide actual birth dates and confirm their specific location at a specific point in time.
I find that many genealogists bypass church records in their research. Some feel that, since they are not church members, they have no right to ask to see records. Others think that there are no records of value. The content of the records varies from church to church and sect by sect, and sometimes the records have been transferred to a regional or national office or archive. They may contain some of the best leads for tracing your family.
That is the reason why it is important to look to baptism and christening records for information and to track them down wherever they are.
Happy hunting!
George
Copyright 1999 George G. Morgan. All rights reserved.
"Along Those Lines . . ." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). Visit George Morgan's Web page at: http://ahaseminars.com/atl. You may send e-mail to atl@ahaseminars.com. George Morgan would like to hear from you but, because of the volume of e-mail, is unable to personally respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist you with your personal genealogical research. George is also the author of "The Genealogy Forum on America Online," which is available in the Ancestry Online Store at:
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"Along Those Lines"
