This volume is the seventeenth in a series devoted to presenting a transcription of the surviving serial manuscript records for the town of Wilmington, Essex County, New York, in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains. Genealogists and family historians should find these Wilmington church records of considerable value for determining if a church-going ancestor was in Wilmington. Additionally, whether a person was a Methodist Episcopal or a Congregational member will better define their particular religious belief. The transcriptions in this volume include: Church Records of the Congregational Church; Methodist Episcopal Church, Book I (1836-1862); Methodist Episcopal Church, Book I.B. (1842-1862); Methodist Episcopal Church, Book II (1862-1882); Methodist Episcopal Church Record of Marriages; Methodist Episcopal Church Alphabetical List of Members; and a Comprehensive Church Record of the Jay and Wilmington Methodist Episcopal Churches. The Wilmington Congregational Church records were transcribed from privately-owned original documents. These records include detailed biographical information, such as whether an individual was married or single. These records span 1834 to 1883; however, the coverage is not continuous and the records are not strictly chronological. The Methodist Episcopal Church records were transcribed from the extraordinary set of records preserved at Wilmington’s Whiteface Community United Methodist Church. The ME volumes, other than Book I, are not limited to the Town of Wilmington Methodist Church. The members of the Circuit varied between 1842 and 1862; at various times these records include churches in the towns of Wilmington, Jay, AuSable, Saranac, Keene and the village of AuSable Forks. Entries include church status for members, a record of quarterly Circuit meetings, and detailed information on some members such as: residence, whether single or married, remarks (baptized or sprinkled, joined, received in full, came by letter, dropped, removed, withdrew, moved, removed by letter, dead or died). The entries have been transcribed as presented; the original spelling has been maintained. A full name index adds to the value of this work.
