By Shannon Bennett, Student

I love history. Really, I do, and if you have followed this blog for any amount of time you probably have figured that out. So guess how excited I was when Module 1 of US Religious Records – Part 1  was all historical background. That’s right, I read it one sitting and went back for more.

St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Whitfield, Indiana. Photo by Shannon Combs-Bennett. Used with permission

Ok, I will admit I knew most of it, but it was really good information. If you really don’t have historical context for common Christian religions it is a must read. Seriously. Knowing how and why religions developed in relation to historical events can be a real eye opener if you have never studied it before.

Of course, I am sure everyone is familiar with the story of Henry VIII and his infamous divorce. You might also know who Martian Luther was. How about George Whitefield?  Maybe, maybe not? Well he was a leader during the “Great Awakening” which was America’s first significant religious revival which occurred in the 1730s-40s. Many of the religions that formed out of it are still around today, along with their philosophies and their records.

To be honest, while the history lesson was great I particularly looked forward to Module 2 which covered the Roman Catholic Church exclusively. I wanted to know more about the records for those members of my family and how I could find them. The first section covered the history of the church in the colonies from Spain and England.

The module goes through each state that has a significant Catholic presence beginning with Florida and the colony of St. Augustine. Each state has a history section, books you should read, and a repository listing.  I love timelines and at the end of the module there is a timeline of events for the Catholic Church showing all the significant dates.

I particularly like how the instructors went through each type of record. If you are not familiar with what is recorded and kept in the Catholic Church this was incredibly useful.  Everything from birth to death was covered in detail with a description of the record, what information is typically found in it, where you can locate documents, and a listing of repositories that you should check out. The listing of archives and repositories is three pages long!

In the next two modules we are going to look at Southern Anglicans, Lutherans, Reformed Churches, and English Quakers. I know one of those religions are in my family for sure, but maybe I will be surprised and discover that I have some of those others too?!

See you online!

By Shannon Bennett, Student

Religious records are used frequently in genealogy research. Baptismal records can verify a birth date and parent’s names. Burial records can give an estimated death date. Then there are the marriage records, the fantastic marriage records. Needless to say, records from religious institutions can give you amazing information. That is if you know where to work.

The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey photo by Shannon Combs-Bennett. Used with permission.

I know my ancestors were religious. Well, at least I know they were moderately active in their local churches and participated in the typical things; you know baptisms and marriages. A few of them were involved with community church projects and others simply attended because that was where their parents, and their parents, and their parents, and so on all attended.  However, how do you find those records?

For my family I know I have a large number of Catholics, followed closely by the Presbyterians, then Methodists, and finally, those who identified themselves at Protestant but I have no idea what flavor. I have to admit I was surprised by the Catholic lines. No one I personally know actively practiced Catholicism but it seems that my paternal grandmother was Catholic as well as her entire side of the family. On my maternal side, my grandfather was the first to be baptized Protestant. His father’s family were all Catholic all the way back to their roots in Maryland, but his mother was not. Can you guess who won the religious war in that family?

The course US Religious Records – Part 1 is required for the American Certificate and covers religions in America up to 1800. According to the course description from our instructors, Kyle Betit and Beverly Whitaker, CG, we will be focusing on Catholicism and Protestant denominations.  It looks like I will find this very useful. For my husband’s side, I will learn more about German Lutherans as well.

Through the course’s six modules a lot of information is covered. History of various religions, timelines, record locations, and additional resources. Yep, lots of information. I am really looking forward to it!

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student

After U.S. Religious Records – Part 1  I jumped straight into U.S. Religious Records – Part 2 .  I thought it made sense to just go ahead and keep the momentum going by continuing with the topic.  It was a good idea since all of the information from Part 1 was still fresh in my mind.  If you can schedule  both courses  close together I would recommend it.

Shaker Village at Hancock, Massachusetts. (c) 2014 Shannon Bennett. Photo used with permission.

The first section was a particularly informative overview of religious records, groups, communities, and history which occurred in America during the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  I always found the communal religious societies in the 19^th century fascinating.  The Shakers, Oneida Community, Millerites/Adventists, Mormons and Community of Christ all developed during a time in American history that was filled with religious expression.  Many of these communities were unable to sustain themselves but others still exist today in flourishing communities.  (The Mormons and The Community of Christ are covered extensively in Module 3 of this course.)

These communities formed during the first half of the 1800s when there was a religious fervor occurring across the former colonies.  The “Second Great Revival” in the Protestant religions swept over the country and made the atmosphere ripe for religious exploration and expression.  This atmosphere contributed to the formation of a variety of religious movements and communities (many of which didn’t actually have a religious focus) like the ones listed above.

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