How do I do church/parish research to find information on a ancestor?

[thecalifornialife]

I was looking through google book samples of this genealogy book. It was talking about doing research through church/parish records. How do I go about requesting information from a church? What information should I look for? I am having trouble with this one ancestor. I the name of his wife. I believe he used a couple different first names. I know the name of his wife. Her name is pretty unique (Hulda Wallace). I figured I can search for her in these church records to see what church he attended and to see what name he used. If I can't look for her with him if I have to find birth records through the church, I at least what to know where to start my search for these records.

[Guy Etchells]

Not knowing where you are located or the years you are reserching it is only possible to give general advice.

Possibly the easiest route is to visit an LDS Family History Center and order the relevant microfilms of Parish Registers.
Depending on what parish and what time period viewing the parish records could provide a huge amount of information.
Cheers
Guy

[thecalifornialife]

For example, I am looking for church information on someone born in Missouri approximately 1860. I imagine that there wouldn't be a million people being born in the northern region of Missouri during 1860. I basically want to find all the people with the last name Wallace who were born during this time. So I would have to go to a LDS Family History Center and order records from all the Parishes who were open during this time? A older record says he was born during March. I believe the birth year is off by a year. I am seriously having the hardest time finding information on him and finding his parents. If my guess on his dad is right, his dad had a really long name and possibility went by different middle names throughout his life.

[andycand]

Hi

Your best bet may be to post details on the United States board and hopefully someone has knowledge of Missouri records. Also, the censuses would be worth looking at, you could try the 1870 census and if you can find him and his family then look for the family in the 1860 census.

Andy

[sillgen]

Hi
Have a look at the tips on the Beginners' Board http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,480454.0.html

www.familysearch.org is the site we all look at first  to find parish entries from that era and they may well be there and then you follow it up at the LDS centre as you said.
Good luck.
Andrea

[nickgc]

Church/parish records in the US are not anywhere as likely as those in the UK to provide the kind of information you are after.  This is because there was no requirement for registering births until relatively late in US history.  After 20 years of research on my scores of US ancestors I can count the number of church records I have found on one hand with digits left over.

Unless you already know what (if any) church your relative belonged to, and can contact them, and they actually have retained the records in an archive, you are probably wasting your time in pursuing this avenue of research.

Sad to say, but true.

Nick

[magsx1]

Hi
Have a look at the tips on the Beginners' Board http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,480454.0.html

www.familysearch.org is the site we all look at first  to find parish entries from that era and they may well be there and then you follow it up at the LDS centre as you said.
Good luck.
Andrea

Hi,
I know I am being really thick but what do I do with the following once i have them

indexing project (batch) number:   M11475-1
system origin:   Scotland-ODM
source film number:   6035516

These are just an example not a record i want but thought i would use it as an example to ask you.
Thank you for your help

[magsx1]

 
Does'nt anyone want to help me?

[dawnsh]

Hi magsx1

If you have used the IGI to find an entry in a parish register, you can use the film number in that record to order that parish register on microfilm and view it at your nearest LDS family history centre.

You haven't updated your profile so we don't know where in the world you are. If you're UK based have a look here for local centres and how to access films listed in the catalogue.

Hope this helps.

Dawn