Church Record Sunday: Panoramio

Panoramio, a Google product,  is a photo sharing  map site that allows users to post photos of events and buildings connected to a specific location. Photos are  placed on a map according to where the photographer was standing when they took the photograph. While not a "church record" it is a place to look for images of the church houses where your family has worshiped.

You can search Panoramio by either specifying a location or using  tag keywords like "church" "temple" or even "cemetery." It's a great way to find photos of places that are too far away for you to visit easily.

Panoramio photos are copyrighted by each individual photographer. If you would like to use the photo in your family history you will need to become a member of Panoramio and then email the photographer and ask permission. Make sure you specify why you want to use the photograph and how you want to use it.

Church Record Sunday: Online Archive of California

Records can be anywhere and while church records seem like they should be housed in churches or church related facilities, that is not always the case. As you research make sure to do a thorough search of libraries, archives and museums that cover the region your ancestor lived in.

Case in point, the Online Archive of California (OAC). This union catalog of various institutions in California holds many different church records, along with other great stuff. Now, I should also say that not everything here documents only California. These are the records of institutions in California, but they can be and are of various places. One of the unique record sets is Polish Catholic Church Records from the Hoover Institution.

Do a search on the word "church" and you will see over 2,000 results that include actual church records from the 19th century to the 20th century. Unique records include those from the Japanese internment camps, San Francisco's Chinatown, images, postcards, church bulletins and records amassed after the People's Temple murder/suicides.

You can also search by the name of the denomination or religion. A search on the word "Jewish" returned over 1,000 items.

The OAC catalog allows you to narrow your search once it is conducted, by institution and date. Some items in the catalog are digitized and available to view online while others must be researched in person.