Arizona Church Records
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History[edit | edit source]
In 2010, the Association of Religion Data Archives reported that the three largest denominational groups in Arizona were the Catholic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and non-denominational Evangelical Protestants. The Catholic Church has the highest number of adherents in Arizona (at 930,001), followed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 410,263 members reported, and then non-denominational Evangelical Protestants, reporting 281,105 adherents. The religious body with the largest number of congregations is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (with 836 congregations) followed by the Southern Baptist Convention (with 323 congregations). Source: Wikipedia
Finding Records[edit | edit source]
Look for online records.[edit | edit source]
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. These are listed at the top of this page and on the Alabama Online Genealogy Records page.
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.
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Online databases are incomplete. This can lead to two common errors:
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- Arizona, births and christenings, 1909-1917, index
- Arizona, deaths and burials, 1910-1911; 1933-1994, index
- Arizona, marriages, 1865-1949, index
- Episcopal Diocese of Arizona church records : jurisdiction of New Mexico and Arizona, 1889-1971, index and images
Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.[edit | edit source]
- The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States. These include records of many denominations, particularly the Society of Friends (Quaker), Presbyterian, Congregational, Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic churches.
- Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
- If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
- 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 United States, Arizona.
- b. Click on Places within United States, Arizona and a list of counties will appear.
- c. Click on your county if it appears.
- d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
- e. Click on Places within United States, Arizona [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
- f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
- g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
- h. 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.
Finding Aids[edit | edit source]
An inventory that can help you find church records is:
- Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona: Division of Professional and Service Projects, WPA, 1940.
- The Church in Arizona: A Brief History History of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, lists the various parish churches.
Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.[edit | edit source]
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.
Roman Catholic[edit | edit source]
Diocese of Phoenix Archives
400 East Monroe St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: (602) 354-2475
The diocese includes the counties of: Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave and Yavapai. NOTE: The diocesan archives does not do any genealogical lookups. However, they will assist a person find their own Sacramental records if they do not know the parish where they took the Sacrament.
Diocese of Tucson Archives
300 S. Tucson Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85716
Phone: (520) 886-5201
The diocese includes the counties of: Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma
The counties of Apache and Navajo are included in the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.
The Arizona Historical Society houses early Spanish Catholic Church records in collections such as “Archivo General de la Nacion” and “Archivo Colegial Franscano of Queretaro, Mexico.”
Indian Missions[edit | edit source]
Missions were established by religious denominations to serve the Indians.
- Calabazas
- Bicuna
- Guevavi
- Purisima Concepcion
- San Agustin de Tucson
- San Pedro y San Pueblo de
- San Xavier del Bac
- Sonoita
- Tumacacori
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records
Special Collections and Archives
Raynor Memorial Libraries
Marquette University
1355 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233
P.O. Box 3141
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-3141
Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.[edit | edit source]
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
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