A Few Churches Where My Ancestors Worshipped

Our family, including my parents, siblings, and I, and my maternal grandparents' family, were all members of the Mineral Ridge Methodist Church when I was a child or, in the case of the adults, at some point in their lives.  My grandmother's brother, William Bickerstaff, was the contractor and primary builder.  It was dedicated in 1930.

I remember the sanctuary as a quiet, peaceful, reverent place with a high ceiling and long stained glass windows on the sides.  To me, the most delightful part of the church was its a beautiful rose window at the front.  When sitting inside on a sunny day the window glowed (and was always pleasant to look at when the minister's sermon was beyond my interest or understanding).  In the evenings, when the lights were on inside, the window glowed as we walked by.

The church of my German ancestors in Steubenville, Ohio, in the late 1800s and early 1900s was the German Evangelical Church or Zion Lutheran Church.  Henry Meinzen and his children were members but I don't find evidence of Henry's wife, Elizabeth, being a member.


After a series of merges with other churches in the 1900s, Zion Lutheran Church finally merged with and became Zion United Church of Christ.  They have maintained and still hold the early records from at least 1870, when Henry Meinzen's first son was born and baptized there.  His obituary, published in December 20, 1925, in The Steubenville Herald Star states, "He belonged to the Zion Lutheran church, taking an active interest in all church activities until his last illness."

The funeral services of my grandfather, Gust Doyle, were performed by Rev. C. C. Clark, pastor of the Franklin Baptist Church.

My great-grandmother Elvira (Bartley) Gerner's funeral services were performed by Rev. H. A. Sayers of the Methodist church of Bruin, in 1945.  I've been unable to find even an obituary for her husband, Fred, who died in 1926.

My third great-grandparents, John and Catherine (Saylor) Froman, were associated with the Good Hope Lutheran and Reformed Church in West Salem Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

My great-great-grandparents, Dixon and Rebecca (Smith) Bartley, attended St. Peter's Reformed Church in Fairview, Butler County, Pennsylvania.

It is a little leap to say that an ancestor was a member of a church where his or her funeral service was held but it suggests, to my mind, some affiliation of the deceased or a member of his or her family.

Church affiliation is not a topic I've spent much time researching.  As I find records and see a church mentioned in a news article or obituary, I note it in.  It would be interesting to research and note the churches where ancestors worshipped.

I sometimes find church associations (hinting at the churches where my ancestors worshipped) in a variety of places and documents.

• Obituaries have been the most common source for finding church associations.  They usually name the pastor who performed the service and sometimes the church affiliation of the deceased.
• Marriage records sometimes give only the name of the minister who performed the marriage.  A little sleuthing (in a city directory of the time) may help determine the name of the church over which the minister presided at the time of the marriage.  It's important to note that a couple may change church associations several times during the course of their lifetime.  A marriage record is not a true indication of church association in the later years of their lives.
• Baptismal records can sometimes be found transcribed and published in books or online.  If one knows the church affiliation already, a letter or email to the church may reveal whether they maintained the old records and whether they will provide a copy.
• Newspaper articles, especially social news, often name attendees at church events and give information about social activities, especially for women.  They may also name who hosted an event and who attended.
• County histories will often give a history of churches of the area.  If your ancestor was an early or founding member, his or her name may be mentioned.  If your ancestor submitted a biography for inclusion in a county history, he will probably have mentioned his church affiliation (if it was important to him).
• Online church records collections can be helpful sources if there is one for your ancestor's church.  United Kingdom church records (found in FreeReg) are a great source of information about church association.

I notice that my RootsMagic program offers "Religion" as one of its fact types.  I think I'll begin using it.

This post was written for Amy Johnson Crow's 2019 version of 52 Ancestors.  The post topic for the week was "At Worship."

--Nancy.

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