Church Records for Genealogists
Confirmations:
New member roll (includes confirmations), 1886-96: 1-24, 25-54, 55-84, 85-114, 115-42, 143-71, 172-200, 201-29, 230-58, 259-82, 283-08, 309-29, 330-49, 350-73, 374-98, 399-422, 423-51, 452-80, 481-506
1897-98: 507-31, 532-49, 550-65
1898-99: 566-83, 584-606, 607-27, 628-49, 650-75, 676-702, 703-21, 722-48
1899-1900: 749-72, 773-801, 802-29, 830-52
1900-01: 853-74, 875-900, 901-19
1901-02: 920-40, 941-969, 970-87
1906-07: 1129-1153, 1154-70, 1171-1189
1908-09: 1225-51, 1252-75, 1276-1302, 1303-28, 1329-55
1909-10: 1356-1378
Membership records are of several sorts. The most common and regular are records of confirmation. There are some records of transfers, but for the most part, transfers were not recorded in list form.
On
several occasions, members were asked to sign on to the
church's "Constitution and Discipline." It appears
that members at the time the document was implemented were
asked to sign at the end of the document. Later, new
members signed on. The first such occasion is the
"Constitution and Discipline" of 1859. The original
signatures are dated, but subsequent additions are not
dated.
The "Constitution and Discipline" of 1886 appears to follow a similar format. However, the first 506 names that were added between 1886 and 1896 are undated. Members added on between 1899 and 1918, and also 1942-43 are indicated. Many additions were by way of confirmation.
The records are handwritten, typically on paper that has become yellow or brown, and in some cases, is brittle and frayed. Content is rarely lost due to damaged paper. In some cases, the ink used to record the record has faded or has bled through the paper, partially obscuring records on the back of the page. In almost all cases, the faded content is readable at higher magnification.
