An inventory of church records in DC is contained in the following
publications, available at the Library of Congress, Washington Historical
Society, and Washingtoniana Collection of Martin Luther King Library, among
other sources: A Directory of Churches and Religious Organization in the
District of Columbia, 1939, and Inventory of the Church Archives in the
District of Columbia: the Protestant Episcopal Church, Washington Diocese.
These two inventories were done under WPA auspices. We eventually intend to
include information from these sources on this website.
Research Tips: If the above publications cannot be accessed, the first
port of call for obtaining old church records is to contact the relevant church,
where the pastor or his or her secretary can generally provide information on
where the older records are kept. In the case of a church no longer in
existence, the best bet is to contact the relevant archive library, or other
major institution for the denomination to find out the name and location of the
successor church, if any, and where the old records are housed, although if this
is not clear, a better bet might be to check the Washingtoniana
Collection at the Martin Luther
King main library (DC Public Library System) and the Washington Historical
Society Library, Tel: (202) 785-2068.
See Churches
for information on several of the first churches built in DC.
Information for some denominations follows:
Catholic:
The Archdiocese of
Washington , Tel: (301) 853-3800, can advise on early
Catholic history, consolidation of parishes, dates of creation of new parishes
and on the location of records. They can also assist genealogists tracking
relatives who joined various Catholic religious orders. The Special Collections
Division of the Georgetown
University Library has extensive records of the
early Catholic church in Maryland, specifically of the Jesuits. The early parish
registers of Holy Trinity Church and the plot book of Holy Rood Cemetery are in
this library.
Episcopalian:
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington , Tel: (202) 537-6555 can advise on
merging of churches, successor congregations and general local church history
matters. The Diocese also has 20th century parish lists not found elsewhere. In
addition, transcribed records for many area churches are in the Genealogical
Records Committee volumes for DC at the DAR Library.
Methodists:
The Wesley Theological Seminary
Library on Massachusetts Avenue, Tel: (202)
885-8695 has extensive collections on the history of the Methodist Church,
including records of the former Methodist Protestant Church. They can
generally advise where a church's name has changed, or on the name of a
successor church when congregations have merged, and they have several
parish membership rosters from the late 19th - early 20th century.
Seventh Day
Adventists:
Archive in Silver Spring, MD
, tel. (301) 680-5020. Has records of some
member obituaries from Adventist publications.
Various Germanic Denominations:
The Menno. Simons Historical
Library in Harrisonburg, VA , tel: (540)
432-4178, has some church records of interest to those with DC German ancestry,
including records of the Reformed Church, Lutheran Church and Anabaptists in
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and can advise on the history of particular
churches and potential successor churches.
MISSING LINKS??? -- This site will be updated as more
information becomes available. If you have anything to add, please contact us at
genealogyldy@verizon.net.