Delaware Church Records

Many religious groups have kept records of Delaware families. Before 1900 the largest denominations were the Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quakers (Society of Friends).

A transcription of the registers and minutes of nearly 100 church records from the 1680s to the 1930s was made by the Delaware Historical Records Survey. These are at the Delaware Public Archives and are on microfilm at the Family History Library (Family History Library films 006304-20). These records are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under DELAWARE, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS. You will also find them listed under Historical Records Survey (Delaware) in the Author/Title Search of the microfiche catalog.

An old list of church addresses and ministers is:

Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Delaware. Dover, Delaware: Historical Records Survey, 1942. (Family History Library film 1036702 item 3; fiche 6019975.)

There is an index to many baptisms, 1759-1890, on microfilm under:

Delaware. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Index Cards of Delaware Marriages, Baptisms, Births, and Death, 1689-1913. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949. (Family History Library film 006423.)

The following publications contain information concerning church members and groups:

Burr, Horace. The Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Delaware, for 1697-1773. Wilmington, Delaware: Historical Society of Delaware, 1890. (Family History Library film 908217; another filming 1000156 item 4.) This book contains English translations and abstracts from the original church records. It also includes traditions, names, and dates.

Clark, Allen B. This Is Good Country: A History of the Amish of Delaware, 1915-1988. Gordonville, Pennsylvania: Gordonville Print Shop, 1989. (Family History Library book 975.1 K2c.) This book has information about the European beginnings of the Mennonite and Amish groups, their migration, and settlement in Delaware. Includes traditions, names and dates.

Clark, Raymond B. Delaware Church Records. St. Michaels, Maryland: R. B. Clark, 1986. (Family History Library book 975.1 A1 no. 14.) This contains baptisms, marriages, deaths, and tombstone inscriptions from several churches including Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quaker churches for the period 1686-1880.

Weis, Fredrick Lewis. The Colonial Clergy of Maryland, Delaware, and Georgia. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1978. (Family History Library book 975 D3w.) This is an alphabetical listing of the clergy in Delaware from 1638-1776, and includes names, dates, and places.

Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. The following are addresses of regional archives:

Baptist

American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library
1100 South Goodman Street
Rochester, NY 14620
Telephone: 585-271-1320
(Closed to researchers until 2008)
Internet: http://crcds.entrexp.com/orgMain.asp?orgid=165&storyTypeID=&storyID=&sid=&

American Baptist Historical Society: http://www.baptisthistory.us/index.php

Methodist

United Methodist Archives Center
Drew University
36 Madison Ave.
Madison, NJ 07940-4007
Telephone: 973-408-3125
Fax: (973) 408-3770 
Internet: http://www.drew.edu/depts/library/methodist/umac.aspx

Presbyterian

The Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516
Telephone: 215-627-1852
Fax: 215-627-0509
Internet: http://www.history.pcusa.org/

Roman Catholic

Diocese of Wilmington Archives
P.O. Box 2030
Greenville, DE 19899
Telephone: 302-655-0597
Internet: http://www.cdow.org/archives.html

Society of Friends (Quaker)

Friends Historical Library
Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399
Telephone: 610-328-8496
Fax: 610-690-5728
E-mail: friends@swarthmore.edu
Internet: http://www.swarthmore.edu/fhl.xml

Websites

Delaware Catholic Church registers: http://www.cdow.org/registers.html

Transcribed church records: http://www.awesomegenealogy.com/churchrecords.shtml