Myanmar Church Records

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In other languages: မြန်မာစာ | English

Myanmar

Church Records

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

Online Resources and Websites

• Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, 1713-1948 The Presidency of Bengal mainly included the states of Bihar and Orissa. At times the Presidency extended to Punjab and most of Northern India. Includes returns from the British colonies of Burma, Malacca and Singapore.
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Myanmar (formerly Burma), index & images ($)
• British India Office Births & Baptisms, index
• British Civil Service Evidence Of Age, index ($)
• UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, index ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Myanmar (formerly Burma) , index & images ($)
• British India Office Marriages, index ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British India Office Deaths & Burials, index ($)
• UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, index ($)

Historical Background

Records begin about 1650 and may exist for the following denominations:

• Anglican 1650-
• Catholic 1662-
• Baptist 1825-
• Methodist1865-
• Adventists 1905-
• Church of Christ 1910-

A large majority of the population practices Buddhism; estimates range from 80% to 89%. According to 2014 Myanmar Census, 87.9% of the population identifies as Buddhists. Christianity is practiced by 6.2% of the population, practiced primarily among the Kachin, Chin and Karen people, and Eurasians because of missionary work in their respective areas. About four-fifths of the country’s Christians are Protestants, in particular Baptists of the Myanmar Baptist Convention; Roman Catholics make up the remainder.

Information 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.

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

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 Myanmar.

b. Click on Places within Myanmar 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 or Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. English and French are taught extensively in the schools. Or, contact a Burmese translation service.

Churches

Catholic

Historical Background The Catholic Church in Myanmar (also known as Burma) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are around 750,000 Catholics in Burma - approximately 1% of the total population. The country is divided into sixteen dioceses including three archdioceses. Each of the archdioceses is also a metropolitan. 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: Myanmar (Burma)

Anglican (Episcopal)

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Myanmar

Baptist

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Myanmar

Church of Christ

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Church of Christ in Myanmar

Methodist

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Myanmar

Seventh-day Adventist

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Myanmar

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