Ginny, Depends on what denomination and what type of record. For instance, Catholic church records don't usually include deaths (unless there's a church burial ground), Baptists practice adult baptism so their baptismal records are not a substitute for birth records, Jewish records don't have a "birth-substitute" similar to a Christian baptism so they only have marriage (and I think death) records. And, of course, there's no guarantee that the records survive, even if a particular denomination kept them originally. Prior to civil registration, though, religious records are your best bet for substitutes for BMD records. Claire On Jun 25, 2010, at 1:42 PM, Virginia Pietsch wrote: > Hi everyone, > > Do you think any records could be found in church records? I know what > county and possibly the town. I am dealing with a date prior to 1880. > Possibly mid 1870's. > > Toodles, Ginny in Houston >