Thanks, Susan! (I used to live in Hawthorne, CA, 3 miles from the beach. As long as there wasn't an earthquake, a lovely place to live!) Kathleen In a message dated 9/28/04 9:47:44 AM US Mountain Standard Time, SueMHR@aol.com writes: In a message dated 9/28/2004 6:10:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, LPurch6636@aol.com writes: If the church is no longer there, are they lost forever? Generally, when a church is disbanded, the records are sent to the denominational headquarters or to the library of a denominational university. This will vary from church to church. It may take a little research to track them down. I would start with the local historical society to see if they know where the records are -- sometimes they do. If not, then write to the nearest local headquarters or university library for the denomination to see if they have them or know where they are. Another resource in NY is the NY Historical and Biographical Record. They have published some of the old records for disbanded churches. You might luck out and find your church was published. Sue Susan M. Hillier Roe SueMHR@aol.com Seal Beach, CA