Mali Church Records

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Mali

Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Africa at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)
  
  

Historical Background

Islam was introduced to West Africa in the 11th century and remains the predominant religion in much of the region. An estimated 90% of Malians are Muslim, approximately 5% are Christian (about two-thirds Roman Catholic and one-third Protestant).

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 Mali.

b. Click on Places within Mali 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. . 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 French Letter Writing Guide for help with composing letters.

Catholic Church Records

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:

• The Catholic Directory: Mali

Historical Background

The Catholic Church in Mali is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are just under 200,000 Catholics in Mali, around 1.5% of the total population. Dioceses:

• Archdiocese of Bamako
  • Diocese of Kayes
  • Diocese of Mopti
  • Diocese of San
  • Diocese of Ségou
  • Diocese of Sikasso

Eastern Orthodox Church Records

Dioceses and Archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria and of All Africa

Maliis is included in the Archdiocese of Accra.

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