The American Baptist Historical Society in Atlanta - A Look at New England Baptist Records

The American Baptist Historical Society (ABHS), located on Mercer University’s Atlanta campus, is a peaceful and scholarly environment tucked away from the bustle of city life. While Mercer’s undergraduate campus is in Macon, Georgia, the archives in Atlanta are where the real treasure is for genealogists and researchers.



For those of us researching New England church records, ABHS is a vital—if often overlooked—repository. The importance of this archive can’t be overstated. It houses a wonderful collection of church records, minutes, membership rolls, and related documents that trace the growth and legacy of Baptist communities across the United States—including several from New England. Among these, Rhode Island is especially well represented.

The ABHS website has a helpful section that organizes church records by state:
🔗 https://abhsarchives.org

Although the number of New England records is modest compared to other regions—and there are no holdings for Vermont—there’s quite a number from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. I was particularly interested in the Cumberland Baptist Church records from Rhode Island and was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail and condition of the materials. I also reviewed other collections from the region, which included church minutes, membership lists, and association records—documents that can be goldmines for genealogists.

Due to copyright restrictions, I can’t reproduce specific content here, but I’ll be highlighting some of the key insights. These materials shed light not only on individual ancestors but also on the structure and culture of early Baptist congregations—helping us better understand the communities our ancestors were part of.

An exciting development is that ABHS is currently partnering with Ancestry.com to digitize their entire church records collection. While it’s still in progress and won’t be available immediately, it’s a major step forward in accessibility. In the meantime, in-person research remains the best way to access these underutilized resources.

If you're working on Baptist ancestors from New England—or trying to fill gaps in pre-1900 church records—ABHS should be on your radar. It's a hidden gem worth exploring.

 

Here’s the full list of New England church records at ABHS:


Church Records 


Connecticut

 

Maine

  • Acton, Maine

[No other resources for Maine]

 

 

Massachusetts

  • Boston, Mass.
    • First Baptist, Boston [Daguerreotype of Samuel Stillman]
  • Cambridge, Mass.
    • Broadway Baptist [Roster of those attending 50th anniversary 1915]
  • Monson, Mass. [Hampden County]

 

 

New Hampshire

 

 

Rhode Island

  • Arcadia [see Exeter or Richmond]

 

 

 

  • Frenchtown [see East Greenwich]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont [No resources]



Records I Reviewed

Cumberland Hill Baptist Church, 1841–1888
This ledger measures roughly 8 x 14 inches and reflects several distinct handwriting styles over time. On the cover, a handwritten note introduces the contents:

"The following is a list of names of persons who contributed toward the building of the Meeting House belonging to the Cumberland Hill Baptist Church and Society, and the amount paid."

Inside, the ledger opens with the church’s Articles of Faith and Covenant. By page 7, it includes a list of various Baptist churches in Rhode Island, along with the names of their pastors. While much of the volume covers routine church business, these records are rich with local detail and offer insight into the individuals and families who made up the community. Familiar Rhode Island surnames such as Ballou, Jillson, Cook, Arnold, Sprague, Aldrich, Nickerson, Mowry, Darling, and Northup appear throughout.

Many entries begin with “Regular church covenant meeting,” followed by detailed notes. One particularly valuable section is titled “Commencement of Membership and Termination of Membership.” It is formatted as a table and includes:

  • Name

  • Commencement of Membership – How and When

  • Termination of Membership – How and When

  • Remarks

The “How and When” columns often use abbreviations, such as:

  • B = Baptism

  • L = Letter

  • Exp. = Experience

  • Dis. = Dismissal by Letter

  • Dth = Death

  • Excl. = Exclusion

  • Tr. = Transfer of Membership

Dates are frequently included, along with notations such as marriage names and locations—details that are invaluable to genealogists tracing family transitions or migrations.

A bonus feature at the back of the ledger is a comprehensive index of names. The final pages also contain a handwritten (undated) will of Jeremiah Jillson and a deed from Amos Cook to the Cumberland Hill Baptist Church.

Cumberland Hill Catholic Baptist Society, Treasurer’s Record Book, 1795–1886
This small accounting ledger fills only about 25 pages but offers financial insight into church operations over nearly a century.

Cumberland Hill Catholic Baptist Society, Record Book No. 1, 1795–1887
This record book, bound in suede-brown covers and measuring about 7 x 15 inches, begins with a formal declaration:

"A journal of the proceedings of a number of inhabitants of the Town of Cumberland, in the County of Providence, State of Rhode Island, who in January 1795 formed themselves into a society under the name of the Catholic Baptist Society. Their aim was to erect a convenient meeting house in the central part of the town... For this purpose, they submitted a petition to the Honourable General Assembly of the state... requesting a lottery to raise eight hundred pounds... This request was granted..."

The early pages include the full text of the General Assembly’s approval and the charter of incorporation. The rest of the book records regular church meetings and administrative decisions. In both content and tone, it closely resembles a town record book, with familiar formats and name-rich entries useful to genealogists and local historians alike.


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