Findmypast Friday February 10th 2017

Discover your Catholic ancestors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in this first record release from an agreement we've made with the Roman Catholic Church to digitise their unique records for the first time ever. These baptism records list your ancestor's name, their parent's names, and their residence at the time.

Additional information that you may find from the images include place of birth, sponsors, minister who performed the ceremony, and notice of marriage. Catholic priests were charged with noting all vital events of their parishioners. If, for instance, a parishioner married outside her home parish, the priest who performed the marriage would contact her priest to confirm she was baptised and to share the details of her marriage, hence the marriage notice in the baptism register.

Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Marriages

View a transcript and image of your ancestor's marriage register from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. As well as details such as the couple's names, and marriage date and location, you may also find dates and locations of the couples' baptisms.

All our Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish records are from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, covering Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County. Originally formed as a diocese in 1808 by Pope Pius VII, it was made a metropolitan archdiocese in 1875. The Catholic Church has had a presence in the area since as far back as William Penn's founding of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1681.

Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Registers Browse

In this browse-only search, you can navigate through each of the 199 sacramental registers that make up the Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Registers, in their entirety, to discover all there is learn about your ancestor's connections to the church.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Births & Baptisms

Provided by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, these records include images from a variety of sources ranging from the late 1600s to the mid-1900s. Each result has both a transcript and an image of the source document (e.g. original registers, historical society publications, etc.).

This collection is part of a larger body of work that will be published on Findmypast over time. It is important to note that this may not be the only place to find births or baptisms—and there may be records included that are not births or baptisms — in this material from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, rather these were the records that we were able to identify as largely composed of births and baptisms.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Deaths &
Burials

As well as details such as name, date of death and burial, parish and diocese, you may find information on your ancestor's military service, age, birth date, or spouse and children. Some even include tombstone inscriptions.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Marriages

Pennsylvanian marriage records ranging from the early 1600s to the late 1900s. You can view a transcript and the original image.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Congregational Records

Gain an insight into your ancestor and the church they attended. Images can include lists of past ministers and those baptised and confirmed, as well as church histories. The lists of confirmations and communicants may also provide the names of parents and spouses.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Word War II
Casualty Cards

These cards were created by the Army so if something happened to a local soldier, the newspaper wouldn't have to scramble for the information. These records are particularly relevant in light of the fire at the National Archives and Records Administration in the 1970s when most World War II personnel files were destroyed.

Westminster Roman Catholic Census 1893

As well as the typical information you would expect from a census (occupation, address, birth year, etc.), notes detailing the local priest's opinion on your ancestor's faith and dedication to the church let you find out if your ancestor was a good or bad Catholic.

England Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms

See the record of your ancestor's baptism. The amount of information in each record varies depending on the age of the record, its legibility, and the amount of information recorded by the parish priest at the time of the event. All England Roman Catholic parish records released this week are from the Birmingham and Westminster archdioceses.

England Roman Catholic Parish Burials

View original burial registers to discover more about your ancestor. Every record includes a transcript and an image of the original sacramental register, while some provide additional information such as your ancestor's parents' names or burial plot.

England Roman Catholic Parish Marriages

Discover where and when your ancestor was married, along with witnesses' names and the names of the married couple's fathers.

England Roman Catholic Parish Congregational Records

Did your ancestor receive confirmation? Were they a benefactor of a parish? Explore thousands of Roman Catholic congregational records from Birmingham and Westminster to discover your ancestor's relationship with his local parish.

England Roman Catholic Parish Registers Browse

Browse all 747 volumes of the Birmingham and Westminster Archdiocesan Archives from start to finish. The volumes span from 1657 to 1907, listing marriages, baptisms and births, burials, and congregational records including anniversary books, confirmation lists, parish diaries, and more.

US Marriage Records

Had no joy searching our US marriage records collection for your ancestor? We've just added 26,000,000 new records, so it's definitely time to try again!

Check out last week's record releases