July is dedicated to offering genealogy tips that are a little… “out of the box.”
Welcome to DAY 6 of the 31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips series!
DAY 6 – Incorporate Religious Periodicals into Your Genealogy Research!
When tracing ancestors, most genealogists search newspapers, but religious newspapers and periodicals are often overlooked. These publications can contain rich details about church life, obituaries, appointments, missionary activity, and family connections within a faith community.
Fortunately, there are many religious periodicals available, and you can search them by denomination or by geographic area.
Typical information you might find in religious periodicals includes:
- Obituaries and memorial notices for members of a faith community.
- Reports of clergy appointments, church leadership changes, and biographical sketches of ministers and their families.
- Missionary reports and notices, which can identify ancestors who served abroad or in other regions.
- Local church news that can fill gaps about community involvement, marriages, baptisms, and social events.
Examples of religious periodicals include:
- The Biblical Recorder – newspaper of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
- The Evangelical Messenger – newspaper of The Evangelical Church, 1848–1946
- Catholic newspapers – many titles are cataloged in directories and microform collections at research libraries
These are only a few examples; many other denominational and regional titles exist.
How to Find Religious Periodicals
A targeted web search is a good starting point. Combine the denomination or faith with a place name—for example, “Baptist newspapers North Carolina” or “Lutheran periodicals Minnesota.”
Other places to look include:
- University special collections and archives, especially at institutions affiliated with a particular religion.
- Directories of the religious press, many of which are digitized or available via library resources and Google Books.
- Archives, denominational libraries, historical societies, and large public research libraries that collect religious serials and vertical files.
One more thing…
Don’t overlook non-English religious newspapers. If a community primarily spoke German, Swedish, Spanish, or another language, their periodicals may be in that language. Plan for translation when necessary to interpret useful details.
Check out other posts in the 31 Days of Out of the Box Genealogy Tips series:
- Day 1 – Volunteer!
- Day 2 – Genealogy Wikis
- Day 3 – Cemetery Research
- Day 4 – Newspaper Society Pages
- Day 5 – Vertical Files
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