“English Churches on Foreign Soil”

Claude Richards wrote an article with the title “English Churches on Foreign Soil,” which appeared in the September 1975 issue of Genealogical Journal published by the Utah Genealogical Association.

This article is basically a table of Vital Records in London Repositories of Church of England Parishes in Foreign Lands. His 12-page table has served me well for locating early records for the Anglican Church for British ancestors from India, Azores, Nova Scotia, France, Italy, Portugal, Saint Helena, and Smyrna Turkey. A total of 109 different locations are included, along with “Ships at Sea.”

Richards includes the depository where the original records were deposited in London:

General Register House (St. Catherine’s House)
Commonwealth Relations Office
Office of the Vicar General
Guildhall Library which was originally housed at the Bishop of London’s Registry–the principal jurisdiction for many of the foreign congregations.

Using the table, you can check the holdings of the Family History Library to determine if your place of interest has been microfilmed or digitized. Your favorite British genealogist, Arlene Eakle  http://arleneeakle.com

PS Don’t reject out of hand a research aid because it is considered “old” or “out of date” by other genealogists. Sometimes that research aid is the only help you have to begin your research on a hard-to-find ancestor. Indeed, some internet sites reproduce these older works as if they were the latest information–and that may be correct.

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