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*'''The commercial website [[findmypast]] digitised the India Office Church records and they were released online on 29 January 2014'''. Note that some India Office Records will not be found in the findmypast database, (for technical or other reasons).
:For privacy reasons be aware that currently (2020March 2021) a limited transcription only is available on findmypast with no digital images for births baptisms '''after 19191921''', and for marriages '''after 19341936'''. Currently there appear to be additional records added on an annual basis, although this has not been consistent in past years.::Images of records after these dates can be obtained from digitised [[FamilySearch]] microfilm, viewable , for non-LDS Church members, at a FamilySearch Centre for free. Currently (2021/03) these digitised microfilms are also available at FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries, but such access has varied in the past, so check availability at AFs, also noting some AFs which are libraries of Societies may charge a visitor fee for non members. See [[FamilySearch Centres|FamilySearch Centre]]for details. The other option is to visit the British Library, or request a copy of the record (for which a charge applies) from the [[British Library]], which may be the preferred option if you a your nearest FamilySearch Centre or Affiliate Library is not geographically or otherwise convenient for you.*Many of the indexes have been previously transcribed by FIBIS Volunteers and are available in the [httpshttp://searchfibis.fibisourarchives.org/frontisonline/bin/index.php FIBIS Search database] under the heading Ecclesiastical Records.
*Enhanced indexes from the church records at the British Library were added in April 2010 to the LDS [[IGI|FamilySearch website]]. These are free to search and view but examination of the full record will give further information. There are some records which are '''not available on findmypast'''.
**The FamilySearch website also contains some databases which are browsable collections of images, which have not been indexed, which are of church registers in India and Ceylon. Currently (2016/11) these are
***India, Madras Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1743-1990. Hints for browsing these records.<ref>Cheryl. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190209215108/https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/india.rootsweb.com/thread/113724/ Baptism records - Madras Presidency] ''Rootsweb India Mailing List'' 11 November 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2019, archived.</ref>
***India, Gujarat Diocese Protestant Church Records, 1854-2012
***Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records 1677-1990
Following Catholic emancipation in England and Wales (1829) Irish soldiers prevailed upon the presidency authorities to provide English-speaking Catholic chaplains and churches for their use. These were established beginning in the mid-1830s. Again, their BMD returns were made to the presidency ecclesiastical authorities. Initially, these returns were filed separately (N/x/RC series, where x=1 for Bengal, x=2 for Madras and x=3 for Bombay) but after a few years, they were amalgamated with the Anglican records.
<br>[httphttps://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2abrowse/records.aspx?cat=059-iorn&cid=1r/h/bf3faf94-14283-642#143fc-1a30b-642 013234bf570c N/1/RC 1842-1856], [httphttps://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2abrowse/r/records.aspx?cat=059-iorn&cid=1h/a3206289-2bb23-180#14744-295c9-180 79265261167a N/2/RC 1835-1854], [httphttps://wwwdiscovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2abrowse/records.aspx?cat=059-iorn&cid=1r/h/4b6a06cc-39a97-179#146bd-39cd8-179 a59d1ec4fc46 N/3/RC 1842-1854]. These records are available on [[LDSFamilySearch]] microfilm, refer table below. It would be expected/assumed this series of records is included in the digitised N/1, N/2 and N/3 India Office Church records on the pay website Findmypast, refer above.
== Missionary and Non-Conformist Church records, including the Church of Scotland ==
*The FamilySearch website contains some databases which are browsable collections of images, which have not been indexed, which are of church registers in India and Ceylon, refer [[Church records#Online records and transcriptions|above]].
* See [[Cemeteries]] for details of monumental inscriptions in books, including books available online.
*''Bengal Past and Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society'', available at the [[British Library]] has lists of baptisms, marriages and burials based on the original church registers in Calcutta, up to 1800. They are probably mostly covered by the Ecclesiastical Returns in the B.L.[[British Library]], however there may be some additional entries which never made it to England (e.g. the ship carrying the returns to England was lost). :Transcriptions from Registers of St John's, Calcutta by E W Madge as they appeared in ''Bengal Past and Present''. Each listing contains many pages of biographical notes. Some articles Articles are available online, on the Archive.org, most being mirrors of files originally from Digital Library of India website, or through the mirror editions on Archive.org. Other articles are available at the [[British Library]]. '''Note''': Records for Baptisms 1767-1777 have been transcribed and are available on the [http://searchfibis.fibisourarchives.org/frontisonline/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_dataset&id=1979&s_id=1064&sort=0&st=0&np=14&tn=412 FIBIS database] in the category Publications.
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.134759/2015.134759.Bengal-Past-And--Present-Vol20---21jan-june#page/n351/mode/2up Baptisms 1713-1758] BPP Volume XXI, pp 143-159. Archive.org/DLI
:*[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.31275/page/n409/mode/2up Baptisms 1759-1766 ] BPP Volume V, pp 325-332. Archive.org, Archaeological Survey of India Collection.
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.501554/2015.501554.Bengal-Past#page/n383/mode/2up Baptisms 1767 -1777] BPP Volume XXV, January-June 1923, pp 130-155, Archive.org/DLI
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.501554/2015.501554.Bengal-Past#page/n167/mode/2up Baptisms 1778-1782] BPP Volume XXVI 1923, pp 142-168. Archive.org/DLI
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.134759/2015.134759.Bengal-Past-And--Present-Vol20---21jan-june#page/n285/mode/2up Marriages 1781-1800 (Supplementary Register)] BBP Volume XXI, pp 76-141. Archive.org/DLI.
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.32665/2015.32665.Bengal-Past-And-Present--Vol10#page/n83/mode/2up Burials 1713-1755] BPP Volume X, Jan-June 1915, Serial Nos 19-20, pp 257-284 . Archive.org/DLI.
:*[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.31275/page/n167/mode/2up Burials 1759-1761 ] BBP Volume V, pp 136-142Archive.org, Archaeological Survey of India Collection.
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.500675/2015.500675.Bengal-Past#page/n141/mode/2up Burials 1762-1774] BBP Volume VI 1910, pp 92-126. Archive.org/DLI.
:*[https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.501558/2015.501558.Bengal-Past#page/n147/mode/2up Burials 1775-81] BPP Volume 31 (Jan-Jun 1926) pages 130-156. Archive.org/DLI.
== Regional breakdown of ecclesiastical records ==
Many of the following records are '''also available on the pay website Findmypast'''.
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
|+'''(Baptisms, Marriages and Burials''')
|-
| . || . || RC/1-5 || 1842 – 1856 ||[httphttps://www.familysearch.org/engsearch/librarycatalog/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=143359&disp=Roman++Catholic++returns++of++baptisms2++ LDS FamilySearch Library catalogue]
|-
| N/2 || [[Madras (Presidency)|Madras]] || 1 – 176<br>'''For more details see'''<br> [[LDS Microfilms for Madras Presidency Church Records]] || 1698 – 1948 || 463296 - 527486
| N/3 || [[Bombay (Presidency)|Bombay]] || 1 – 178<br>'''For more details see'''<br> [[LDS Microfilms for Bombay Presidency Church Records]] || 1709 – 1948 || 462965 - 523914
|-
| . || . || RC/1-5 || 1842 – 1854 || [httphttps://www.familysearch.org/engsearch/librarycatalog/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=143359&disp=Roman++Catholic++returns++of++baptisms2++ LDS FamilySearch Library catalogue]
|-
| N/4 || India and Pakistan || 1 – 8 || 1949 – 1968 || 527415 - 527421
| . || . || 3 Madras, Assam, Burma, Central Provinces and Punjab ||||
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> or Film Numbers to insert into the [[LDSFamilySearch]] Catalogue to yield full range. Note: The [[LDSFamilySearch]] tend to classify the locations of these ecclesiastical events according to the present day Indian States, which the researcher will have to relate to the provinces of the former British Presidencies.
==Other sources==
In India, as in England, parish churches, both Church of England and Roman Catholic, were obliged to send an annual copy of baptisms, marriages and burials to their Diocesan offices. These are known in the UK and elsewhere as "Bishop's Transcripts" ( BTs, also known as Parish Register Transcripts)
"As long as the Diocesan records have not been destroyed, you will always find a copy there from every single parish church within that diocese. If you don’t get a result from the parish (where for instance, as in Burma, many have been destroyed) then write to the Bishop's secretary".<ref> Steevens, Mark. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200507050812/https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/india.rootsweb.com/thread/2240438/ Roman Catholic Registers in India (and elsewhere)] ''Rootsweb India Mailing List'' 30 December 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2019, archived.</ref>
==External links==
