Parish Register

The formal record of the various official acts in a parish church. Canon 15 of the Constitution and Canons of 1789 required every minister of the church to keep a register of baptisms, marriages, and funerals within his cure. The Canon Law of the Church of England also required that the clergy keep a register of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials. These records from the colonial period are a primary source of historical and demographic data for the early days of this country. Other data to be kept in the parish register are a list of all baptized members, a list of all communicants, a list of all confirmands, a list of all persons who have died in the last year, and a list of those persons who have been received, and all who have been removed by letter of transfer. There should also be a list of those whose domicile is unknown and those who are inactive but whose domicile is known.