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Antigua and Barbuda Church Records

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For information about records for non-Christian religions in Antigua and Barbuda, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

Bishop's Transcripts

Bishop's transcripts covering the 1730s to 1740s were found in the Public Record Office in England (now The National Archives).[1] They were published 100 years ago and are now available online:

  • 1733-1734 - "B.T. Leeward Islands, Vol. 24 (Parish of St Paul Antigua): Transcripts of Parish Registers," Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):140-141. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.
  • 1733-1734 - "St. Mary's Parish, Antigua: Transcripts of Parish Registers," Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):141. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.
  • 1738-1745 - "Saint John Parish in Antigua: Transcripts of Parish Registers," Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):236-237. Digitised by dLOC - free. Marriages and burials.
  • 1742-1745 - "Parish of St Paul's, Falmouth, Antigua: Transcripts of Parish Registers," Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):257-259. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.
  • 1745 - "St George in Antigua: Transcripts of Parish Registers," Caribbeana, Vol. 1 (1910):255-256. Digitised by dLOC - free. Baptisms and burials.

Clergymen

Historical Background

A majority (77%) of Antiguans are Christians, with the Anglicans (17.6%) being the largest single denomination. Other Christian denominations present are Seventh-day Adventist Church (12.4%), Pentecostalism (12.2%), Moravian Church (8.3%), Roman Catholics (8.2%), Methodist Church (5.6%), Wesleyan Holiness Church (4.5%), Church of God (4.1%), Baptists (3.6%), Mormonism (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) (<1.0%), as well as Jehovah's Witnesses.[2][3]

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

  • baptism date
  • the infant's name
  • parents' names
  • father's occupation
  • status of legitimacy
  • occasionally, names of grandparents
  • names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives
  • birth date and place
  • the family's place of residence
  • death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

  • the marriage date
  • the names of the bride and groom
  • indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed
  • their ages
  • birth dates and places for the bride and groom
  • their residences
  • their occupations
  • birthplaces of the bride and groom
  • parents' names (after 1800)
  • the names of previous spouses and their death dates
  • names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

  • the name of the deceased
  • the date and place of death or burial
  • the deceased's age
  • place of residence
  • cause of death
  • the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower
  • deceased's birth date and place
  • parents' names, or at least the father's name



How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Antigua and Barbuda.
b. Click on Places within Antigua and Barbuda and a list of towns will appear.
c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. 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.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Writing for Records

Historical Background

The Anglican diocese of North East Caribbean and Aruba was formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Antigua and the Leeward Islands when the Anglican diocese of Barbados, then with the Diocese of Jamaica one of the two dioceses covering the Caribbean, was sub-divided. It celebrated its 175th birthday in 2017.[4]

Baptist Church Records

Writing for Records

Catholic Church Records

Catholic Church in the Caribbean (including Saint John's - Basseterra diocese)

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

Historical Background

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis–Imatellurana) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, covering five English-speaking jurisdictions in the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda. The diocese was erected on 16 January 1971 as Diocese of Saint John's, on territory split off from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roseau (Dominica). On 1981.06.21 it was renamed as Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre. [5]

Church of God Records

Writing for Records

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online Records

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background

Missionary work began in St. John's, Antigua, on 19 May 1984, when President Kenneth Zabriskie of the West Indies Mission visited the governor of Antigua and received permission to station missionaries on the island. The first missionaries, Elder Ralph and Sister Aileen Tate, arrived on 28 July 1984. The first member of the Church was baptized in St. John's on 15 September 1984.The Church grew to about 70 members in 1995. Total Church Membership: 244.[6]

Jehovah's Witnesses Church Records

Writing for Records

Methodist Church Records

Writing for Records

Historical Background

All accounts are agreed that 250 years ago in 1760, Nathaniel Gilbert introduced Methodism in Antigua. According to Dr Thomas Coke, “in 1760 Nathaniel Gilbert publicly preached the Gospel to the slaves.” This Nathaniel Gilbert did from the back steps of his great house at Gilbert Estate located on the northeastern corner of Antigua. Antigua’s claim to fame in the story of Methodism may be further linked to the fact that outside the British Isles, Antigua was the FIRST TERRITORY in the world to which Methodism was introduced. For a detailed history, see HISTORY OF METHODISM IN ANTIGUA.

Moravian Church Records

Writing for Records

Historical Background

In 1731, Nicholas von Zinzendorf attended the coronation of Christian VI of Denmark, where he met a slave of African descent from St Thomas, Danish West Indies. Zinzendorf invited him to Herrnhut, to give Moravians an eye-witness account of the terrible conditions of the slaves on the plantations. The result was that two Moravian missionaries went to St Thomas in 1732. Through their work, the Moravian Church in the Eastern West Indies was established. During the first century of its life, the church was administered by a mission board of Herrnhut. In 1879 a synodal province of the Moravian Church, Eastern West Indies, was constituted. The church was nevertheless greatly dependent on the continental provinces until 1967, when it was granted full autonomy. The church is made up of six conferences (districts) on four Virgin Island territories in the north - St Thomas USVI, St John USVI, St Croix USVI, and Tortola BVI; the independent nations of St Kitts and Antigua in the Leeward Islands; the independent nation of Barbados, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the south.[7]

Pentecostal Church Records

Writing for Records

Seventh-day Adventist Church Records

Writing for Records

Wesleyan Holiness Church Records

Writing for Records

References

  1. ↑ The editor of these records stated additional bishop's transcripts for the Leeward Islands were at Fulham Palace, in the custody of the Bishop of London in 1910, but he did not have permission to publish them.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Antigua and Barbuda", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda, accessed 28 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Religion in Antigua and Barbuda", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Antigua_and_Barbuda, accessed 28 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Diocese of the North East Caribbean and Aruba", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_of_the_North_East_Caribbean_and_Aruba, accessed 28 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Saint_John%27s%E2%80%93Basseterre, accessed 28 March 2020.
  6. ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Facts and Statistics: Antigua and Barbuda, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/Antigua-and-Barbuda, accessed 28 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Moravian Church, Eastern West Indies Province", at "World Council of Churches", https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/moravian-church-eastern-west-indies-province, 28 March 2020.
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