Obtaining baptism records

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my grandmother (r.i.p) used to tell me of stories about her childhood. and she informed me that she was raised catholic until i think she was about 16, when she married my grandfather and they both coverted (he was baptist)

i would like to obtain her baptism record. just for my own benefit. having something of hers.

how does one go about obtaining this information? i would like to get her brothers and sisters too. i know the county of the city, but i do not know what church. how do i find this information???

thanks in advance

she was born in 1926…also Black…don’t know if that matters
 
If you you know the city and the year she was born, and her maiden name, I would suggest writing all the Catholic Churches in that city and asking if they have a baptismal record for this person at about that time. Please be patient, as it may take some time to seach the baptismal roll, and parish secretaries have a lot of work that usually needs to take priority over genealogical research. It is possible that your grandmother may have been baptized in a church that has been closed, in which case the Baptismal records may be held by another parish that now holds the territory of the closed parish, or they may be in the Diocesan archives.
 
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ReflectHim:
my grandmother (r.i.p) used to tell me of stories about her childhood. and she informed me that she was raised catholic until i think she was about 16, when she married my grandfather and they both coverted (he was baptist)

i would like to obtain her baptism record. just for my own benefit. having something of hers.

how does one go about obtaining this information? i would like to get her brothers and sisters too. i know the county of the city, but i do not know what church. how do i find this information???

thanks in advance

she was born in 1926…also Black…don’t know if that matters
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What state and what city?
 
As somebody who has performed church record handling, if you can afford it, please enclose a small donation ($5-10) to the Diocese of Beaumont to help with the processing and cost of the certificate. Their address is on the bottom of the web site.

dioceseofbmt.org/
 
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ReflectHim:
my grandmother (r.i.p) used to tell me of stories about her childhood. and she informed me that she was raised catholic until i think she was about 16, when she married my grandfather and they both coverted (he was baptist)

i would like to obtain her baptism record. just for my own benefit. having something of hers.

how does one go about obtaining this information? i would like to get her brothers and sisters too. i know the county of the city, but i do not know what church. how do i find this information???

thanks in advance

she was born in 1926…also Black…don’t know if that matters
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Reflect,

In 1915, Mother (now Saint) Katherine Drexel founded the first church for Black Catholics in Southeast Texas - Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, on Porter Street, in Beaumont - in an era when racial separation existed, sadly, even in churches in the southern US. I rather suspect that this was where your grandmother was baptised. Happily, the parish still exists today and last year celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding.

Blessed Sacrament Church

There is a copy of their anniversary booklet at the site, which includes historical info on the parish’s early families - maybe even yours 👍

In 1926, Blessed Sacrament birthed a second parish for the Black Catholic community of Beaumont, Our Mother of Mercy Parish, which also still exists. I suspect this is your next best possibility.

Btw, the anniversary book that I mentioned shows a vibrant parish community that anyone should be proud to call their own 👍 .

I’d be curious to know whether you find family in the book.

If you do write, seeking copies of the records, I’d second the suggestion made above as to enclosing a small donation for the time, effort, copying, and postage that will go into responding to your request.

Many years,

Neil
 
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ReflectHim:
beaumont, texas

jefferson county
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Irish did the work for me. I was thinking along the lines that if in the south there would be only a few Black Catholic parishes in any given area.
 
hint for others looking for grandparents, ancestors etc. get in touch with your local geneology group they have the contacts for this type of search. In general, if you know the church, write to the church. If you know the town find out the diocese. Every parish has a directory of US dioceses. Write to the diocese. If a US citizen was baptized outside the country there is a good chance parents were in military service. If you think that is the case write the the Archbishop for Military Affairs in Washington. If outside the country, your geneology workshop contacts are going to me most helpful. Always send a donation around $10 for the administrative cost of the record. If it is a living person only he has the right to his records.
 
thank everyone for their replies. I have contacted the churches, and hope for a quick response.

but thanks again. really helped. 😃
 
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