Historical Parish Records of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana
These registers are viewable online in two different formats. Some are digitized as PDF files that can be easily scrolled through for information. You may need to download the file and rotate the digital image to make it viewable.
Others are digitized and available through a partnership with Familysearch, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Genealogical Society of Utah. In order to access the records on the Familysearch website, the researcher will need to register a free login and password with Familysearch. None of the records in either format are automated or name-searchable. Hence, to locate a name, the user will need to select the parish from those listed below, choose the register volume, and then scroll through to view images of the pages. Some registers contain original holographic indexes that can assist in the search for a specific name or family. We hope to offer a diocesan-wide name indexing system at some time in the future.
Parish registers of the Episcopal Church appear in a number of formats. In the earliest days of the Diocese of Indiana, the records of baptism, marriage, confirmation, and burial were recorded in blank books laid out under the design of the officiating clergyman. Sometimes only minimal information was recorded, while at other times the priest made various notes. Occasionally, as in the case of St. Paul's Mishawaka, the earliest parish register was kept together with vestry minutes. At other times, as with the case of Trinity Michigan City, the clergyman kept family registers where all of the children of a couple were grouped together and included elaborate indexes.
By the time of the Civil War or soon after, printed blank registers made an appearance in nearly every parish. These volumes allowed for more precise and uniform recording of vital information. Not only were baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials recorded, but there were also sections for communicants, offerings, and parish history notations. Marriages could take place in many locations outside of the church, and some priests made note of these locations as well as circumstances and even certain guests. Burial records would occasionally include cause of death and frequently the place of burial. Baptismal records would include the names of godparents or sponsors. It was not unusual for some parents to baptize all of their children at once. Occasionally but not always, the priest would enter both the birth date and baptismal date of the child, but such information was seldom recorded for adults being baptized.
In the twentieth century, many larger parishes adopted separate registers for marriages, baptisms, confirmations, and communicants. These records were less condensed than in the earlier, all-inclusive registers, but they lacked the arcane information often found in the earlier registers.
The Diocese hopes that the registers will be helpful for finding your family history. We plan to make more records available over time as they become digitized.
Diocese of Indiana, Bishop George Upfold's Register of Baptisms (1853-1860), Confirmations (1849-1864), and Marriages (1854-1861)
Diocese of Northern Indiana Confirmations
Register, 1899-1949 (not digitized, at Archives, super oversize)
Register, 1944-1962
Register, 1963-1976
Register 1976-2002
Register, 1995-1999
Register, 2000-2016
Bristol, St. John of the Cross
Parish Register, 1843-1966
Butler, St. Charles the Martyr
Parish Register, 1961-1964
Delphi, St. Mary's
Parish Register, 1844-1959
Vestry Minute Book 2, 1864-1887
East Chicago, Church of the Good Shepherd
Parish Register, 1892-1940
Parish Register, 1941-1971
Parish Register, 1971-2013
Elkhart, St. David of Wales
Parish Register, 1964-2016
Parish Register, 2017-2024
Elkhart, St. John the Evangelist
Parish Register 1, 1868-1893
Parish Register 2, 1893-1902
Parish Register 3, 1902-1918
Parish Register 4, 1914-1931
Parish Register 5, 1931-1943
Parish Register 6, 1943-1953
Parish Register 7, 1953-1978, Communicants
Confirmation Register, 1952-1972
Marriage Register, 1940-1968
Burial Register, 1955-1982
Baptismal Register, 1953-1964
Fort Wayne, Church of the Good Shepherd
Parish Register, 1869-1875
Fort Wayne, Trinity
Parish Register (Christ Church and Trinity), 1839-1853
Parish Register 1, 1839-1888
Parish Register 2, 1889-1923
Parish Register 3, 1923-1947
Marriage Register, 1924-1941
Marriage Register, 1941-1961
Communicants, 1948-1964
Baptismal Register, 1948-1974
Vestry Minutes, 1839 (Christ Church), 1844-1878 (Trinity)
Vestry Minutes, 1879-1912
Vestry Minutes, 1913-1931
Vestry Minutes, 1932-1947
Vestry Minutes, 1947-1952
Vestry Minutes, 1953-1959
Vestry Minutes, 1960-1970
Gary, Christ Church
Parish Register 1, 1908-1928
Parish Register 2, 1908-1980
Marriage Register, 1908-1964
Index of Names
Parish Register after 1980 is located at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Hobart
Gas City, St. Paul's
Parish Register, 1895-2015
Goshen, St. James
Parish Register 1, 1868-1892
Parish Register 2, 1893-1898 (lost)
Parish Register 3, 1899-1928
Parish Register 4, 1929-1966
Hartford City, St. Luke's
Parish Register, 1915-1953 (with gaps)
Howe, St. Mark's (formerly Lima) (and St. James Chapel, Howe School)
Marriages (typescript), 1896-1912
Parish Register, 1852-1885
Parish Register, 1894-1913
Baptisms and Families, 1895-1912
Parish Register, vol. 5, 1913-1956
Parish Register, vol. 6, 1956-1976
Parish Register, vol. 7, 1976-1986
Parish Register, vol. 8, 1986-2021
Vestry Minutes, 1920-1951
Alternate link to this collection
Huntington, Christ the King
Parish Register, 1884-1898
Parish Register, 1950-1985
Baptismal Register, 1972-1984
Confirmation Register, 1961-1984
Mission Committee Minute Book, 1959-1968
Kendallville, Trinity
Clergy Book, Service Register, and Parish Register, 1890-1904
Parish Register, 1907-1938
La Porte, St. Paul's
Parish Register, 1838-1865
Parish Register, 1838-1910
Parish Register, 1911-1939
Parish Register, 1940-1979
Logansport, Trinity
Parish Register 1, 1841-1865 (lost)
Parish Register 2, 1866-1879
Parish Register 3, 1880-1930
Vestry Minute Book 1, 1841-1855
Marion, Gethsemane
Parish Register 1, 1887-1905
Parish Register 2 (Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials, Communicants), 1905-1958
Marriage Register, 1905-1958
Michigan City (Long Beach), St. Andrew's-by-the-Lake
Parish Register, 1956-2019
Michigan City, Trinity
Parish Register 1, 1838-1872
Parish Register 1 Partial Transcription, 1838-1872
Parish Register 2, 1873-1882
Parish Register 3, 1882-1914
Parish Register 4, 1914-1927
Parish Register 5, 1928-1947
Parish Register 6, 1947-1955
Mishawaka, St. Paul's
Parish Register 1, 1837-1870
Parish Register 2, 1871-1901
Parish Register 3, 1903-1933
New Carlisle, St. Mary's
Parish Register, 1891-1903
North Liberty, St. Philip's
Parish Register, 1890-1894
Peru, St. James
Parish Register, 1844-1860
Peru, Holy Trinity
Parish Register, 1872-1896
Parish Register, 1897-1949
Parish Register, 1950-1962
Parish Register, 1962-1989
Plymouth, St. Thomas/Santo Tomas
Parish Register 1, 1857-1871
Parish Register 2, 1872-1890
Parish Register 3, 1891-1910
Parish Register 4, 1909-1956
Parish Register 5, 1956-1977
Rensselaer, St. Peter's
Parish Register, 1961-2004
South Bend, Cathedral of St. James
Parish Register, 1868-1900
Parish Register (alternate digitizing), 1868-1900
Parish Register, 1899-1937
Parish Register, 1899-1937 (alternate digitizing)
Parish Register, 1937-1942
Parish Register, Index of Communicants
Parish Register, 1943-1953
Marriage Register, 1949-1989
Confirmation Register, 1950-1986
Baptismal Register, 1953-1989
Marriage Index, 1931-1939
Burial Register, 1962-1988
South Bend, Holy Trinity (formerly Holy Trinity Hungarian Mission, "Szentharomsaq Magyar Episzkopalis Hitkozseq")
Parish Register, 1913-1922
Parish Register, 1923-1932
Parish Register, 1932-1942
Parish Register, 1942-1964
Parish Register, 1964-2022
Syracuse [Wawasee], All Saints
Parish Register, 1907-1945
Valparaiso, St. Andrew's
Parish Register, 1893-1947
Baptismal Register 1893-1996
Burial Register, 1899-2022
Whiting, St. Luke's
Parish Register, 1895-1914