Church records
India had no civil registration (including birth certificates) as such. The next best thing for a genealogist is to use Church Records. About 80% of all baptism, marriage and burial records have survived today, and the good news is that they are all indexed and available on microfilm. Records of baptisms, marriages and burials are available 1698-1968. In 1930 the Anglican Church in India separated from the Church of England and became the autonomous Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, still within the Anglican Communion. From this time onwards the number of ecclesiastical records sent to England was smaller than previously, and continued to decline over time.
The records are housed in the APAC in London. If you live outside London, then the best way to have access to these records is to use the LDS (Mormon) microfilms, which will be available in an LDS Family History Centre near you.
Some regiments of the British Army (not the HEIC Army) chose to have their records included in the General Register Office records at what was formerly called St Catherine's House, in London. If your ancestor was in the British Army and you are unable to find your ancestor's baptism record in the church records held at the APAC or on microfilm, there is a chance that they will be available in the Army Ecclesiastical Returns of the General Registrar's Office. Indexes to these records are available in most genealogical libraries and family history societies.
The Society of Genealogists, London has some church records relating to India, some of which are not found in the N series of India Office Records at the British Library. To see what is available refer to Church records of India at SOG
Using Microfilms
Instructions on how to use the microfilmed copies of the APAC church records and indexes at an LDS Family History Centre.
A list of all the microfilm numbers for the LDS copies of Bengal church records.
A list of all the microfilm numbers for the LDS copies of Madras church records.
A list of all the microfilm numbers for the LDS copies of Bombay church records.
Lists of microfilms of European church records in India that do not fall under the usual three Presidencies. These include Native States, some Catholic records and post-Independence church records.
Lists of microfilms of church records in India which are not held by the APAC. They are principally native Roman Catholic congregations, but also include Syrian, Armenian, Danish and Dutch church records in India. There are also a very small number of British churches in this listing, namely the original Anglican records from Fort St George in Madras, and the Church of Scotland in Bombay.
Lists of microfilms of church records in Goa.
Churches
A list of postal addresses and phone numbers of all bishops of CSI dioceses in India, correct in 1993.
A list of the postal addresses and phone numbers of all bishops of CNI dioceses in India, correct in 1993.
A list of Roman Catholic churches in Madras, with their date of building and approximate location. This list was kindly transcribed by Peter Bailey.
A reference to a listing of church records in Calcutta to 1800.
External Links
- Local Catholic Church History in India. This is a terrific site by Ann Mensch which provides a wealth of information on all Indian Catholic dioceses, as well as some interesting links on Catholic family history.
- This India List post gives details of a [marriage] Banns book at Roman Catholic churches. The example mentioned contained information additional to the marriage record.
- Photos of Churches in India. Stephen Luscombe has a fascinating website on the British Empire which includes, amongst other things, photos of former British churches in India. The whole site is worth exploring for general information on the British Empire.
