Community of Christ in the United States
United States 
United States Church Records Community of Christ
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The original content for this article was contributed by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies in June 2012. It is an excerpt from their course US: Religious Records - Part 2 by Beverly Whitaker, CG. The Institute offers over 200 comprehensive genealogy courses for a fee ($). |
(Formerly: Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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Contents
History in the United States[edit | edit source]
See “Community of Christ History.”
Finding the Records[edit | edit source]
Look for online records.[edit | edit source]
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. More are being added all the time. Partner websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, MyHeritage, and American Ancestors can be searched free-of-charge at any Family History Center.
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Online databases are incomplete. This can lead to two common errors:
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- Index to the Saints' Herald: Births and Blessings, 1860-1968
- Index to the Saints' Herald: Marriages and Anniversaries, 1860-1955
- Index to the Saints' Herald: obituaries, 1860-1961
- Early members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Deceased membership files, 1877-1995, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- Child Blessing Certificates Card Files (electronic records)
- Local Jurisdictional Records [electronic records They include membership records with information about birth dates and locations, baptism dates and locations, ordinations, baby blessings, and other pertinent information regarding individual members. These records range from 1860 to 1922 in most cases. They may also include minutes and records of branch events.
Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.[edit | edit source]
- There are many entries of Community of Christ church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog. They are generally listed as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog state-wide, county-wide, or for a town.
- If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
- Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
- To find records statewide records:
- a. Enter your state name in the "Place" search field of FamilySearch Catalog. You will see a list of topics and, at the top, the phrase "Places within United States, [STATE]".
- b. Click on "Church records" in the topic list. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
- To find county-wide records:
- c. From the original page, click on Places within United States, [STATE] and a list of counties will appear.
- d. Click on your county.
- e. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
- To find town records:
- f. From the list of counties, click on Places within United States, [STATE], [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
- g. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
- h. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
- i. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record.
. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.
Correspond with or visit the actual churches.[edit | edit source]
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
- Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
- To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
- Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
- A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
- If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
- See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
Addresses:
Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.[edit | edit source]
Community of Christ
International Headquarters
1001 W. Walnut
Independence, Missouri 64050-3562
Telephone: (816) 833–1000; (800) 825–2806
Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor[edit | edit source]
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by gathering in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
- name, including middle name and maiden name
- names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
- exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
- names and approximate birthdates of children
- all known places of residence
- occupations
- military service details
Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.
