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British Virgin Islands Church Records

British Virgin Islands Wiki Topics
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Beginning Research
Record Types
British Virgin Islands Background
Local Research Resources

For information about records for non-Christian religions in the British Virgin Islands, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

Historical Background

Over 90% of the population who indicated a religious affiliation at the 2010 Census were Christian with the largest individual Christian denominations being Methodist (17.6%), Anglican (12%), Church of God (11%) and Roman Catholic (9%). The Constitution of the British Virgin Islands commences with a professed national belief in God.[1] Religions: Protestant 70.2% (Methodist 17.6%, Church of God 10.4%, Anglican 9.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.0%, Pentecostal 8.2%, Baptist 7.4%, New Testament Church of God 6.9%, other Protestant 1.2%), Roman Catholic 8.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.5%, Hindu 1.9%, other 6.2%, none 7.9%, unspecified 2.4% (2010 est.) [2]

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 may be included.

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:

  • Marriage date
  • Names of the bride and groom
  • If the bride and groom were single or widowed
  • Ages
  • Birth dates and places for the bride and groom
  • Residences
  • Occupations
  • Birthplaces of the bride and groom
  • Parents' names (after 1800)
  • 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

FamilySearch Catalog

Copies of church records are available at the FamilySearch Library and may be available online. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center. To find records:

  1. Click on the records of Virgin Islands (British).
  2. Click on Places within Virgin Islands (British ) and a list of towns will appear.
  3. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
  4. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
  5. 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)

Online Records

Writing for Records

Historical Background

The Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) which includes both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. In 1917 when the United States bought the Danish West Indies from Denmark, the three Anglican parishes and one mission on the islands were under the Anglican Bishop of Antigua who was part of the Diocese of Barbados. By a Deed of Relinquishment the Archbishop of the West Indies on 24 November 1963 transferred ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Anglican Churches in the British Virgin Islands to the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America.[3]

Assembly of God

Writing for Records

Baptist Church

Writing for Records

Catholic Church

Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre (including British Virgin Islands)

Writing for Records

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 is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, covering five English-speaking jurisdictions in the Caribbean, including the British Virgin Islands. [4]

Church of God and New Testament Church of God

Writing for Records

Jehovah's Witnesses

Writing for Records

Historical Background

The pioneering spirit of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Caribbean started in the late 1940s when the schooner Sibia sailed into the U.S. and British Virgin Islands waters bearing missionaries to these shores. For several years the Sibia was a floating missionary home, calling from island to island to give lectures, witness to the locals and hold Bible studies. The British Virgin Islands has about 254 members, including a small group on Anegada.[5]

Methodist

Online Records

Writing for Records

Historical Background

In 1793 in the Tortola Circuit, 1,496 out of 8,000 citizens of the British Virgin Islands were Methodist, 7/8 of whom were slaves. Those numbers were eventually reduced through emigration and natural disasters.[6]

Pentecostal

Writing for Records

Seventh-day Adventist

Writing for Records

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "British Virgin Islands", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, British_Virgin_Islands, accessed 17 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "British Virgin Islands", in Index.Mundi. British Virgin Islands, Religions, accessed 17 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, Episcopal_Diocese_of_the_Virgin_Islands, accessed 17 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Saint_John's–Basseterre, accessed 17 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Faith Matters: Jehovah's Witnesses Convene on St. Thomas", accessed 17 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Google Books. "The History of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, Volume 2", accessed 17 March 2020.
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