Saba Church Records

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Saba

Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

Nederlands Hervormde Kerk. Sint Eustatius, Kerkelijke registers, 1709-1791, images Dutch Reformed parish registers of Saint Eustatius, Saint Martin and Saba. Includes baptisms and marriages.

Historical Background

Saba is predominantly a Christian territory. The main denominations are Catholics 45%, No denomination 18%, other denomination 11%, Anglicans 9%, Evangelical 4%, and Pentecostal 4%. ^[1]

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 Netherlands Antilles, Saba.

b. Click on Places within Netherlands Antilles, Saba 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 Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Churches found on Saba:

Church Name, Affiliation, Location:

Church of St. Paul's Conversion, Roman Catholic, Windwardside
Holy Rosary Church, Roman Catholic,Hell's Gate
Sacred Heart Church, Roman Catholic (1877), The Bottom
Christ Church, Anglican (18c), The Bottom
Holy Trinity Church, Anglican (1877), Windwardside
Saba Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Windwardside
Wesleyan Holiness Church, The Bottom

Catholic Church Records

Dioceses of the Catholic Church in the Caribbean (includes the Diocese de Willemstad)

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: