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Before 1900 the largest religious groups in [[Washington, United States Genealogy|Washington]] were the [[Baptist Church in the United States|Baptist]], [[Roman Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholic]], [[Methodist Church in the United States|Methodist Episcopal]], and [[Presbyterian Church in the United States|Presbyterian]] churches.<ref>Sydney E. Ahlstrom, ''A Religious History of the American People'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1972). {{FHL|282712|item|disp=FHL Book 973 K2ah}}.</ref> | <div style="float:right; margin:30px"> | ||
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<center>'''For greater success, use all the Wiki Articles in this series:'''</center> | |||
*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?|'''What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?''']] | |||
*[[Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended|'''Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended''']] | |||
*[[How to Find Church Records in the United States|'''How to Find Church Records in the United States''']] | |||
*[[United States Church Records#Searching for Church Records by Denomination|'''Searching for Church Records by Denomination''' ]] | |||
*[[United States Church Records#Searching for Church Records by U.S. State|'''Searching for Church Records by U.S. State''']] | |||
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==Historical Background== | |||
Before 1900 the largest religious groups in [[Washington, United States Genealogy|Washington]] were the [[Baptist Church in the United States|Baptist]], [[Roman Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholic]], [[Methodist Church in the United States|Methodist Episcopal]], and [[Presbyterian Church in the United States|Presbyterian]] churches.<ref>Sydney E. Ahlstrom, ''A Religious History of the American People'' (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1972). {{FHL|282712|item|disp=FHL Book 973 K2ah}}.</ref> <br> | |||
Catholic and Protestant faiths were in Washington State from its earliest days. Other American traditions such as Mormonism and the Seventh-day Adventist churches soon followed. The [[Methodist Church in the United States|'''Methodist Episcopal Church'''] was the first Protestant group to organize a local church east of the Cascades. Methodism arrived in Vancouver in 1848 and in Olympia and Seattle in 1853. The ''Roman Catholic Church in the United States|'''Roman Catholic Church''']] is one of the oldest denominations in the state and remains today one of its largest. The [[Presbyterian Church in the United States|'''Presbyterian'''] faith arrived in Oregon Territory in 1838. Missionaries from the Utah-based [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|'''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''']] were sent to the Pacific Northwest as early as 1850, although missionary efforts did not begin seriously until the 1880s and 1890s. The church has emerged today as one of the largest denominations in the state. Also, missionaries from the Missouri-based [[Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ)|'''Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ)''']] arrived in Washington State in the nineteenth century. [[Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States|'''Seventh-day Adventists''']] arrived in Washington Territory in the 1860s, with a strong presence in the state today. The [[Episcopal Church in the United States|'''Episcopal/Anglican''']] faith arrived in Washington in 1851 at Cathlamet as a mission outreach from Portland. The [[Lutheran Church in the United States|'''Lutheran''']] faith arrived in Washington as the result of migration by Scandinavians to the Puget Sound area.<ref> Dwight A. Radford for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.</ref> | |||
==Information Found in the Records== | |||
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type: | |||
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*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Baptisms or Christenings|Baptisms or Christenings]] | |||
*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Marriages|Marriages]] | |||
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*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Funerals or Burials|Funerals or Burials]] | |||
*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Membership Lists|Membership Lists]] | |||
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*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Minutes or Historical Narrative|Minutes or Historical Narrative]] | |||
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==Finding the Records== | |||
===Look for online records.=== | |||
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local [https://familysearch.org/locations/ family history center] or the [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library Family History Library] in Salt Lake City, Utah. | |||
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Online databases are <span style="color:Red">'''incomplete'''</span>. This can lead to two common errors: | |||
#'''Near matches:''' Researchers might <span style="color:Red">'''mistakenly accept an entry very similar to their ancestor'''</span>, thinking it is the only one available. Only use information that matches your ancestor in date, place, relationships, and other details. | |||
#'''Stopping research''': Researchers might <span style="color:Red">'''assume the database proves church records do not exist'''</span>. Actually the record is still out there, just not in this <span style="color:Red">'''incomplete'''</span> collection of records. Keep searching! | |||
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*{{RecordSearch|3518729|Washington Deaths and Burials, 1810-1960}}, index and images. | |||
=== Baptist === | === Baptist === | ||