I have just started my genealogy journey -- and as you can tell, I jumped in to the deep end of this pool quickly. I have had trouble finding our family in standard marriage record sources!
I started to think I was related to long line of "live in sinners" who had set aside convention and never married. Then, at a visit to the glorious DAR Library (Daughters of the American Revolution) I noticed a trend - no books on Catholics. Lots of books on Episcopal churches - inventorying the cemeteries, etc. Same with Lutheran congregations. I noticed that most of the records I am finding (those related to religion) are often not Catholic.
I was intrigued. So, I turned to Google (the source of all knowledge in the universe) and a few pieces fell into place - bottom line, there is a story and there are Church documents on the story ... ahh... always drama in my little life....
- Vatican orders Catholic Parish Registers Off-Limits to LDS Church
- "One of the core tenets of Mormon faith is that the dead can be baptized into the Church to offer them the opportunity to accept the faith in an afterlife and achieve salvation. Many Jews and Christians have been upset by this practice, and see it as usurping the memory of their departed relatives....Ironically, the Vatican Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared in June 2001 that baptism conferred by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not valid. The response was signed by the prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI."
- So, basically, I've learned that some standard sources used by genealogists will continue to turn up less helpful information for me. So be it! I can't change it so I will work around it.
Am starting with Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Byram, Connecticut and Our Lady of Mercy in Port Chester, New York.
a site to check
ReplyDeletehttp://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/education/frameset_education.asp?PAGE=education_research_series_online.asp%3FActiveTab=2