Iran Church Records

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Iran

Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Iran , index and images, ($)

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Iran , index and images, ($)

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background

A number of Christian denominations are represented in Iran. Many members of the larger, older churches belong to minority ethnic groups – the Armenians and Assyrians-- having their own distinctive culture and language. The members of the newer, smaller churches are drawn both from the traditionally Christian ethnic minorities and converts from non-Christian background.

The main Christian churches are:

• Armenian Apostolic Church of Iran (between 110,000, 250,000, and 300,000 adherents)
• Assyrian Church of the East of Iran (about 11,000–20,000 adherents),
• Chaldean Catholic Church of Iran (3,900 adherents as of 2014)
• Catholic Church of Iran (about 21,380 adherents)
• various other denominations, some examples are:
  • Presbyterian, including the Assyrian Evangelical Church
  • Pentecostal, including the Assyrian Pentecostal Church
  • Jama'at-e Rabbani (the Iranian Assemblies of God churches)
  • and the Anglican Diocese of Iran.

According to Operation World, there are between 7,000 and 15,000 members and adherents of the various Protestant, Evangelical and other minority churches in Iran, though these numbers are particularly difficult to verify under the current political circumstances.

The International Religious Freedom Report 2004 by the U.S. State Department quotes a somewhat higher total number of 300,000 Christians in Iran, and states the majority of whom are ethnic Armenians followed by ethnic Assyrians.

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 Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Iran.

b. Click on Places within Iran 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. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Next use a Persian translation service. If the church is Armenian, use an Armenian translation service.

• Maps.me Church Listings for Iran

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Iran

Anglican Diocese of Iran Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Iran]

Armenian Apostolic Church of Iran Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Armenian Apostolic churches in Iran]

Assyrian Church of the East of Iran Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Assyrian Church of Iran churches in Iran]

Chaldean Catholic Church of Iran Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Chaldean Catholic churches in Iran]

Jama'at-e Rabbani (the Iranian Assemblies of God churches) Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Jama'at-e Rabbani churches in Iran]

Presbyterian, including the Assyrian Evangelical Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Assyrian Evangelical churches in Iran]

Pentecostal, including the Assyrian Pentecostal Church Records

Writing for Records

• [ Google Maps search results for Assyrian Pentecostal churches in Iran]

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