TITLE: Glory to God! Dutch Christian Reformed Church Records: Online, Parish and Archive Records

SESSION: F303

TIME & DATE: Friday, 04 May 2018, 8:00 am

The Dutch Christian Reformed Church (DCRC) is regionally strong in Michigan and surrounding Midwestern states. Church records often provide information found nowhere else, and while some denominations kept strong records others did not. DCRC has good records, but you must seek them out. This session can directly help those with DCRC ancestors, but the principles illustrated about conducting historical church research apply regardless of denomination.

We will cover records found at the Hekman Library Archive, both online and in the collection. Collection items are only accessible by visiting Hekman Library at Calvin College in Grand Rapids; we will discuss preparation for such a trip. Ancestry.com has a small collection of parish records, but the records are difficult to find using surname searches. Strategies will be shared for uncovering these records often buried under tens of thousands of hits.

But, don’t stop there! A visit to the church where your ancestor worshiped can be one of the most moving experiences you will have. The records may be held no where else, but seeing a Bible or the pulpit my ancestor preached from still sends shivers down my back.

Come learn about church records: what they contain, the multitudinous ways to access them and some of the pitfalls to avoid while maximizing your chance of success.

ABOUT: A passionate genealogist, Jill Morelli, CG® lectures nationwide about her Midwestern, northern German, and Scandinavian ancestors. Her lively presentations on intermediate and advanced methodologies, unique record sets, and Swedish research conveys information usable by attendees whatever their skill level. Morelli’s great grandfather was an early pastor of the DCRC, and instrumental in the church’s expansion in the Midwest in the 1800s.