Togo Church Records

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Togo

Church Records

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

Historical Background

The CIA World Factbook states that 44% of the population are Christian, 14% are Muslim with 36% being followers of indigenous beliefs. Christianity began to spread from the middle of the 15th century, after the arrival of the Portuguese and Catholic missionaries. Germans introduced Protestantism in the second half of the 19th century, when a hundred missionaries of the Bremen Missionary Society Presbyterian] were sent to the coastal areas of Togo and Ghana. Togo's Protestants were known as "Brema," a corruption of the word "Bremen." After World War I, German missionaries had to leave, which gave birth to the early autonomy of the Ewe Evangelical Church.

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 Togo.

b. Click on Places within Togo 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.

• Maps.me Church Directory for Togo

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: Togo

Historical Background

Christianity began to spread from the middle of the 15th century, after the arrival of the Portuguese and Catholic missionaries. There are approximately 1,483,000 million Catholics representing approximately 25 percent of the total population of 5,968,000.

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

African Area President James O. Mason organized the Lome Togo group in July 1997 with Agnon Ameri Didier as presiding elder. There were by this time about 25 Latter-day Saints living there. In October 1998, 12 dancers from Togo joined the Church while at a dance festival in Bountiful, Utah. Due to unrest in the country, they had difficulties returning to their homeland. In February 1999, Togo came under the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan Mission. That same month, the first missionary couple, Dermoine A. and Joyce Findlay, began missionary work in Togo and in February 1999, the Lome Branch was organized. Legal recognition of the Church was granted in July 2000. Church Educational System classes began to be taught in the late 1990s. Total Church Membership: 4,736. Congregations: 19.

Eastern Orthodox Church Records

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

Togo is included in the Archdiocese of Nigeria.

Presbyterian Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Togo

Historical Background

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo is a church of the Bremen Mission, which begun its work in the Volta region in Ghana. The first congregation was established in 1893. The church was established at the end of the 19th century. At the time of World War I, the church had 22,000 members. After the departure of the German missionaries, the church sought to maintain its unity, and in 1922 the Evangelical Ewe Church was established, uniting the francophone and anglophone churches. The church has 200,000–300,000 members, 516 congregations, and 516 house fellowships.