Iowa Church Records: Difference between revisions

===Church Records and Archives===

Church records have been kept in [[Iowa]] since the 1830s. Information from church records varies greatly, depending upon the denomination and the record keeper. Records may contain such information about members of the congregation as age, dates of baptism, christening, or birth, marriage information, wife’s maiden name, and death dates. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses at church events or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominately of one nationality or ethnic group. Knowing this may help you find the foreign town from which your ancestors immigrated.  

=== Baptist  ===

[http://www.nabconference.org/ North American Baptist Conference]<br>1 South 210 Summit Avenue<br>Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181<br>Phone: (630) 495-2000<br>Fax: (630) 495-0333 <br>

=== Episcopal Church  ===

[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iamusca2/index.html Trinity Episcopal Church], Muscatine IA, has Parish Baptism Records online.  

=== Lutheran  ===

[http://www.elca.org/ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]<br>Wartburg Theological Seminary<br>333 Wartburg Place<br>Dubuque, IA 52001<br>Phone: (563) 589-0200

Fax: (563) 589-0333  

The Wartburg Theological Seminary has Lutheran records from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and upper Michigan. Many of the records in this repository can be borrowed for a small fee. For a list of some of the records, see:  

*''ALC Congregations on Microfilm.'' <ref>ALC Archives. ''ALC Congregations on Microfilm.'' Dubuque, Iowa: The Archives, [197-?]. {{FHL|269930|item}} 6330690–93.</ref>The list is alphabetical by state and then by city. Fiche 6330690 has records from Iowa.  

*''American Lutheran Church Shelf List Index to Their Church Records'' <ref>''American Lutheran Church Shelf List Index to Their Church Records'' ''Microfilmed as of 1987''. N. p., 1988. {{FHL|437527|item}} 973 K2aL.</ref>  

*[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iamusca2/index.html St. Peter's Lutheran Church], Montpelier Twp, has Baptism and Death records online.

=== Methodist  ===

[http://www.iwc.edu/ Iowa Wesleyan College Library]<br>Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641<br>Phone: (319) 385-6317<br>Fax: (319) 385-6324  

*''Iowa Churches: A File at the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa'' <ref>''Iowa Churches: A File at the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1975. {{FHL|44827|item}} films 956387–417.</ref>This file consists of church histories, anniversary programs, and newspaper clippings. It is arranged by towns or by the name of the church.  

*''Ministerial Biographies: A File in the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa'' <ref>''Ministerial Biographies: A File in the Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1975. {{FHL|43828|item}} films 956418–42. </ref>These films contain biographies, mainly of Methodist ministers.

=== Presbyterian  ===

[http://www.history.pcusa.org/ The Presbyterian Historical Society]<br>425 Lombard Street<br>Philadelphia, PA 19147<br>Phone: (215) 627-1852<br>Fax: (215) 627-0509  

Many of the biographies and church records of this society have been microfilmed. The society and the Family History Library are continuing to collect Iowa Presbyterian church records.  

=== The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  ===

[http://www.cofchrist.org/library/archives.asp The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints<br>World Headquarters]<br>P.O. Box 1059<br>Independence, MO 64051<br>Phone: (816) 833-1000<br>Fax: (816) 521-3089  

=== Roman Catholic  ===

[http://www.davenportdiocese.org/ Diocese of Davenport]<br>2706 N. Gaines Street<br>Davenport, IA 52804<br>Phone: (319) 324-1911<br>Fax: (319) 324-5842  

=== Society of Friends (Quaker)  ===

[http://www.swarthmore.edu/x6672.xml Friends Historical Library<br>Swarthmore College]<br>500 College Avenue<br>Swarthmore, PA 19081<br>Phone: (610) 328-8496<br>Fax: (610) 328-7329