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United States    District of Columbia    Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in the District of Columbia were the Roman Catholic, Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, and Methodist Episcopal churches.

To locate church records see:

• A Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in the District of Columbia, 1939. Washington, D.C.: District of Columbia Historical Records Survey, 1939; FHL Collection 975.3 K24h; digital version at Ancestry ($). 

The Family History Library has few District of Columbia church records. It has begun to digitize its collection:

• 1830-1955 - District of Columbia Births and Christenings 1830-1955 - free. Description

• 1811-1950 - District of Columbia Marriages, 1811-1950 - free. Description

• 1840-1964 - District of Columbia Deaths and Burials, 1840-1964 - free. Description

You can write to the following addresses to learn where records are located:

Baptist

American Baptist Historical Society

The Library in Rochester is now closed to researchers, with interim director Betsy Dunbar working full-time, preparing collections for packing.  We are not accepting any more research requests "by mail" in 2007 nor are we scheduling appointments to our Rochester Library at this time.  We will also close the Valley Forge Archives Center to visitors beginning in mid-June.  We are inviting researchers to plan to visit us in 2008 at our new location on the Atlanta campus of Mercer University.

An informative history is:

• Brush, John Woolman. Baptists in Massachusetts. Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson Press, 1970. FHL Book 974.4 K2bj.

Episcopal

The Episcopal Church Historian
Washington National Cathedral
Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
Telephone; 202-537-6200
Fax: 202-364-6600

St. Alban's Parish
Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington DC 20016-5098
Telephone: 202-363-8286
FAX: 202-363-6828

Mailing Address:

3001 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20016

For information on Episcopal churches see:

• Inventory of Church Archives in the District of Columbia: The Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of Washington, 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Historical Records Survey, 1940; FHL Book 975.3 K2h.

Methodist

United Methodist Archives Center
Drew University Library
36 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ 07940
Telephone: 973-408-3289
Fax: 973-408-3909

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 127
Madison, NJ 07940-0127

Roman Catholic

St. Patrick's Church in Washington, D.C. has parochial registers dating back to the foundation of the city.

Historiographer
Archdiocese of Washington
5001 Eastern Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20017
Telephone: 301-853-4500
Fax: 301-853-3246

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017

A wiki article describing an online colleciton is found at:

• District of Columbia Birth Returns (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• District of Columbia Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)