This collection includes scans of various records from First United Methodist Church of Appleton, Wisconsin, which began in 1848 with Reverend William H. Sampson preaching the first sermon in Johnston’s Shanty. In the early days, FUMC was a circuit rider church, whose pastors would travel to camp meetings and various locations (Kaukauna, Ripon, Shiocton, Parfeyville, and many more). If your ancestor did not live in Appleton but were Methodist, Episcopalian, or a similar religion, they may still be included in this collection.
Indexes
Baptisms • Marriages, alphabetized by Groom • Marriages, by Bride • Marriages, by Date
Books
Various Small Communities
Scope of collection: Included in the collection are selected pages from books ranging from 1856 to the 1920s. Blank pages were not scanned and there are gaps in coverage. For privacy, only records thru 1925 are accessible in this online collection. All records prior to 1925 that were available in the church records were scanned. You may contact the church for records from 1926 to current.
Due to age and ink used, some of the pages are very light, even in the physical books. Every effort was made for clarity and readability of every page. You are welcome to take a screen capture and use editing software to try and enhance individual pages.
Although arrangement of each book and sections within the books change depending on the publisher of the book, below is the general set up of the books and what materials are indexed.
INDEXED:
Using the indexes: Click on the link to pull up the index. From here, you will see the date the event happened on. Find the church book that matches this date and open the PDF of the book to locate the appropriate section to browse until you locate that date.
Record of Baptisms
Baptisms typically include the name of the child, date of baptism, date of birth, residence, officiating minister and witnesses. Some indicate if it was a child or adult baptism, the mode of baptism, and place of baptism. In some books there are also spaces for listing of parents and remarks.
Be aware not all baptisms were done as infants. Adults and whole families would get baptized on a day. Baptisms were done at residences, camp meetings, and various locations.
Record of Marriages
Marriage records typically include the date of the marriage, the parties, residence, and officiating minister. In some books there are also spaces for place of marriage, place of birth, occupation of male, age, witnesses, and remarks. NOTE That this collection and index only contains marriages up until 1921.
We are happy to receive notification of errors or omissions.
NOT INDEXED:
Probationers: These were people seeking to become full members of the congregation. Probationers are listed by date. In addition to name, many records list marital status and residence as well as additional remarks. Typically, probationers would be on this list for six months before moving to the membership list, though not everyone who was a Probationer completed it. Some Probationers list notes, such as “removed,” “moved away,” or “dropped out,” indicating they did not become a full member of the church. Additional notes in this section may include when they were received into the church, who they may have married, and when and where they moved.
Received/Removed By letter: This is one notation you may see on the records. When a person came from another church, they would bring a letter from their home church to transfer to the new church. Similarly, if they moved to a different church, they would get a letter from First United Methodist Church to bring to their new church.
Alphabetical List of Members: These are full members of the church, broken down alphabetically. In addition to their names and when they were admitted to the church, you may also find information on their marital status, address, and when and how they were removed. Many members also have additional notes written, which may include information such as when they died, who they married, and more.
Classes Severally: These are class books with names of attendees and leaders listed. Classes are typically listed by date. Classes include independent studies to become a member of the church or regular Sunday school for adult and children. Some include remarks, such as if they were removed from the class.
Miscellaneous: Within the church books are also miscellaneous pages, such as a historical record of the beginnings of the church and a record of pastors.