Guides and Histories
The Churches of Delaware: A History, in Brief, of the Nearly 900 Churches and Former Churches in Delaware as Located by the Author by Includes photographs of 150 churches. The complete set of Zebley's photographs, including 150 not in the book, are at the Delaware Historical Society and the Delaware Public Archives.
Delaware Genealogical Research Guide by Call Number: F163 .D349 2020ISBN: 9780578584263Publication Date: 2020-01-09The Delaware Genealogical Research Guide contains detailed descriptions of how and where to find information about Delaware ancestors. Well organized and easy to use, the guide covers more than 20 types of records; offers suggestions for further research; and features a comprehensive compendium of more than 100 local, regional, and national record repositories and resources. In addition, discussions of Delaware's history and geography add important context and explain how competing claims to the land and protracted boundary disputes affect where records might be located. Meticulously compiled and fact-checked by members of the Delaware Genealogical Society, this guide is a valuable asset for experienced as well as novice researchers.
Finding Books: Search Examples
- churches delaware
- maryland church history
- delmarva church history
- registers births delaware
- [name of church or organization]
- "white clay creek" presbyterian
- bible records
More Resources
- Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Parish Registers (Talbot County Free Library)Descriptions of the records that have been microfilmed.
- Cyndi's ListOne of the best websites for locating genealogical information on the Web. Includes sections: Cemeteries & Funeral Homes and Religion & Churches.
Church Records
Appoquinimink Meeting in Odessa, Delaware
- Delaware Church Records: A Collection of Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, and Other Records and Tombstone Inscriptions, from 1686-1880, Five Important Religious Groups: Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quaker, with Historical Sketches... byContents: Old Drawyers Presbyterian Church, Odessa; Newark Friends Meeting Marriage Records, Wilmington; Christ Church, Broad Creek; Little Creek Old Style Baptist Church, Little Creek; St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Lewes.
- Sketch of Early Ecclesiastical Affairs in New Castle, Delaware, and History of Immanuel Church byThe Appendix (p. 177-254) contains lists of rectors and wardens of Immanuel church, parish register of baptisms, marriages and burials, and epitaphs from the church-yard.
- Sketch of Early Ecclesiastical Affairs in New Castle, Delaware, and History of Immanuel Church (online) byOnline (free) from Hathi Trust.
- "The Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Del., from 1697 to 1773, Translated from the Original Swedish by Horace Burr, with an Abstract of the English Records from 1773 to 1810."Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware; no. 9. Contents: Marriage index (males); Marriage index (females); Births and baptisms; Burials.
- "The Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Del., from 1697 to 1773, Translated from the Original Swedish by Horace Burr, with an Abstract of the English Records from 1773 to 1810." (online)Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware; no. 9. Contents: Marriage index (males); Marriage index (females); Births and baptisms; Burials.
- "Catalogue and Errata of the Records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church."Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware; no. 9-A.
- Transcripts of Early Newark, Delaware Church Records (manuscript) byA compilation of transcriptions from the records of five Newark churches: Village Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church, Welsh Tract Baptist Church, White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, and Head of Christiana Church. Spanning the years 1739-1906, the church records include minutes from meetings; lists of births, deaths, and church membership; records of dismissals, admissions, and resignations as well as copies of indentures and deeds. For more information, see the finding aid.
- Some Records of Sussex County, Delaware byIncludes civil, court, church, and Bible records, such as land grants, civil suits, wills, administrations, and marriage records. Also included are vestry records of St. Peter's church for the early 1800's. Some Kent County records are included. Dates of coverage vary; most cover 1600s to 1775. The Index is available online. Available online through Hathi Trust.
- History of Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, the Second Oldest Presbyterian Church in Delaware: Containing a Story of the Church's Life, Sketches of its Pastors, List of Communicants, Record of Marriages byBased on the Rev. J.L. Vallandigham's "A Historical Discourse Delivered at Head of Christiana," 1876.
- Vital Records of Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware, 1686-1800 byTranscripts of church records: Duck Creek Monthly Meeting (Friends), Anglican churches of King George's and Prince George's, and Presbyterian churches at Lewis, Coolspring, and Indian River.
Early Church Records of New Castle County, Delaware by v.1: Includes Wilmington Monthly Meeting, Marriage Bonds of New Castle, Emanuel Anglican, Welsh Tract Baptists, some later Methodist records & some records of Pencader Presbyterian Church, and St. Peters Roman Catholic Church.
v.2: Old Swedes' (Crane Hook) Church in Wilmington.- Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Delaware byPublication Date: 1942
- WPA Church Records Index (online)Typed transcripts, with handwritten notes of the records of individual churches in Delaware copied from the originals by the Works Progress Administration. Compiled between 1938-1942 as part of the Church Records Project.
Bible Records
- Maryland and Delaware Bible Records byIncludes 37 Maryland Bibles (50 families) and 17 Delaware Bibles (20 families).
- Delaware Genealogical Society JournalCall Number: F163 .D35xPublishes transcripts of original records. Published since 1980.
- Some Delaware Bible Records byContains information from the following family bibles: Anderson, Benjamin Baylis, Isaac Betts, Bunting, Daniel Burton, William Q. Carter, David Derickson, Goodwin-Cklark, Griffith, Hollingsworth, Josiah Hopkins, Liston A. Houston, James Johnson, Jesse Joseph, Lank, Lockard, Marshall-Swain, Marshall-Virden, Marvel, Maull, Mellott, Paynter-Marsh, James Penton, Warren Prettyman, Grenoble, Prettyman-Wilson, Short and Collins, Caleb Sipple, Sylvia Sipply, Harper, Reed, Vessels-Hazard, Webb, and West-Lafetra.
Genealogy Resources at the University of Delaware Library
Although not aimed at genealogy and family history, the collections of the University of Delaware Library (Morris Library) include materials useful to genealogists and family historians.
This Genealogy Research Guide is provided as a service for genealogists. It presents topics and resources to assist researchers.
The UD Library does not specialize in genealogy and does not have staff responsible for genealogy. Library staff cannot conduct research.
For questions about library resources and holdings, use the Ask the Library service.
For questions about getting research assistance, see the suggestions on the home page of this guide or on the topic/resources pages.