Catholic records go online for the first time
Over three million previously inaccessible Catholic records from Britain and the USA can now be searched on Findmypast, with more material due online in the future
Over three million Roman Catholic Church records have been published online for the first time thanks to a new digitisation initiative.
Launched in February, the Catholic Heritage Archive on findmypast.co.uk provides access to a large tranche of records from the Archdioceses of Westminster and Birmingham dating back to the mid-17th century.
The collection also features material from the US Archdiocese of Philadelphia (1757-1916), as well as more than 10 million Irish Catholic parish records, which were first released on Findmypast in 2016.
The bulk of the dataset comprises sacramental registers, which, like Church of England parish registers, were created to record important life events such as baptisms, marriages and burials.
Although mainly written in Latin, key details from the registers have been indexed, allowing family historians to search for their ancestors and quickly gather new information about their lives.
For example, searching the database for composer and devout Catholic Edward Elgar displays a single baptism record from 1857.
Recorded as Edward Gulielmus (William) Elgar, the transcription and accompanying digital image shows that the ceremony took place at St George’s Church in Worcester, nine days after his birth on 2 June.
The full names of both his parents – Gulielmi Henrici (William Henry) Elgar and Anne Elgar Greening – are also included.
In addition to baptisms, marriages and burials, the registers also include details of people who received First Communion or Confirmation. Featuring the age of each individual, these entries can prove particularly useful to genealogists who have had trouble tracking down their ancestors’ birth records.
Other types of records found within the collection include religious censuses and congregation lists, as well as anniversary books, showing the dates on which people died. One such document from St Augustine’s Church in Kenilworth lists noted architect and Catholic convert Augustus Pugin, who died on 14 September 1852.
The Catholic Heritage Archive is set to expand over the coming years, with records from the US Archdioceses of Baltimore and New York due online in the next tranche. Once the project is complete, 100 million records will be available to explore.
“The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world,” said Brian Donovan, licensing manager at Findmypast. “Despite the popular perception that it had few adherents in Britain, or was not that important in American settlement, it has always been a significant component of the population.”
He added that the large number of US records due to hit the web would help uncover the history of “millions of Irish, Italian, German, Polish and many other nationalities” as they settled overseas.
Once the project is complete, 100 million records will be available to explore online