Religion Through History
Churches and the people who led and attended them. Read more >>
Originally a colony of Great Britain and under the rule of King George III, the Founding Fathers of the United Sates were opposed to a state religion (King George III was the head of the Church of England as is Queen Elizabeth today). In fact, they even wrote it into the Constitution:
And yet, many today say that the U.S. is "a Christian nation". Indeed, Christianity is the most populous religion - followed by Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Worldwide, Christianity is also the most followed (2.4 billion), closely followed by Islam (1.8 billion). Then comes Agnostic/Atheistic (1.2 billion), Hinduism (1.15 billion) and Buddhism (521 million). Fifteen other religions (for instance, Judaism - 14 million and Chinese traditional religions - 394 million) round out the rest of us. So religion is a way of life for billions of the people around the world.
Some facts about religion in the United States:
- Hindus have the highest rates of education among religious communities - 48% of all Hindus have a post-graduate degree.
- The number of Mormons in the U.S. today are equal to the number of Anglicans/Episcopalians - 1.7% .
- Six of the Supreme Court justices are Catholic and three are Jewish - about half of the population identifies as Protestant.
- Only 10 U.S. states have weekly church attendance above 50% - they’re all in the South. 11 states have weekly church attendance below 33% - and no, one of them is not California or New York!
- The Southern Baptist Convention has twice as many churches as the Catholic Church, despite having 1/4th the membership.
- The first Muslims in the U.S. were African slaves - about 10% of slaves were Muslim.
- 40% of the U.S.’s 1.2 million Buddhists live in Southern California.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the fifth largest religious organization - the Catholic Church (66 million), the Southern Baptism Convention (16.5 million), the United Methodist Church (8.4 million), and the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. (8.2 million) are larger.
These are the photos of people practicing their religion in the past - the buildings, leaders, and congregants of the past two centuries. From weddings to baptisms to confirmations to funerals, most people have participated in at least one religious activity in their lives. << Read less
A photo of Blanche Laravie posing for her Solemn First Communion at St. Peter's Church
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A photo of Valdimar Eylands
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A photo of Priscilla Allen Scroggins and family. The lady to the right is Priscilla Allen Scroggins. The oldest Methodist in the world. She was born on March 9, 1777 in South Carolina to William Allen.This photo was taken in 1893 when she was 116 years old. The newspaper article attests to this fact. Effectively making her (at the time) the oldest Methodist in the world! Born before the methodist church was officially established. She has been a Methodist since age 14 in 1791.
Her father William Allen died in Ga at age 112. He was born in 1726 and died in 1838.
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A photo of a portrait of Really A. Rabbi Jacobs. This is one of our ancient ancestors who practiced Judaism with fervor, enthusiasm, delight, tenderness, and the urge to fry up some latkes for the entire family.
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A photo of Martha J Smigielski at Holy Communion
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A photo of Hilary Andrew Leister at his Confirmation
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A photo of Kate (Cunningham) Pilcher
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Rev. John Walker's Church 2nd Creek Baptist, Hazard, Ky
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A photo of Maurilio Ponce and Lucia Reyes
baptizing a baby.
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Confirmation of Thomas Tiletsky, circa 1940s
This is my grandfather as a boy at his Confirmation, one of the Catholic Sacraments. My grandfather Thomas was raised in the Slavic neighborhoods of Fells Point and Patternson Park in Baltimore, MD. He was ethnically Polish and Lithuanian. His younger sister told me that he was quite the jokester as a child, and teachers couldn't get him out of their classrooms fast enough. The teachers would often give him money to go to the moviehouse instead.
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A photo of Steve Soresso with his foster mother on his First Communion
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Fr. Jerry Wade (tennis coach?!) found in the 1985 Bellarmine College Preparatory yearbook. Fr. Wade has been President of the San Jose, California high school numerous times.
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A photo of Albert L Shimalonis
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This photo is of sister Marie Estelle (Barbara Kosick)
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A photo of the Interior of Reims Cathedral after German shelling. A commercially published mass produced tinted postcard, probably part of a series. Caption reads:
"3. REIMS (1919). -- Interieur de la Cathédral
(au fond, trou causé par un obus de 380)"
Google Translate:
"Interior of the Cathedral
(basically, hole caused by a shell of 380)"
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A photo of Joseph Anderson Pinkston
Birth 17 MARCH 1900 • Lacoochee, Pasco, Florida, USA
Death 29 MAY 1963 • Orlando, Orange, Florida, USA
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Found in an antique store. Handwritten on the back: "Sister Martha Dohrmann Confirmed"
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A photo of the Presbyterian Church and Parsonage, Highland, NY. Earl Smith and Dorothy Van Kleeck were married here on June 12, 1930.
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This photo may be from the Horn family from Kuelsheim, Baden who came to NYC around 1848.
We are hoping someone might recognize this.photo taken in Brooklyn - no date
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A photo of Anastasia (Schneider) Lavallee
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A photo of Rosemarie (Canavan) Noeldechen
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Photo found at Garage Sale Warehouse in Beaverton, Oregon, September 2018. Note in German which I will also post.
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A photo of my First Communion - Debra Marie Valentine
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After the original Dalton M.E. Church burned down a new one was erected in its place in 1917.
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A photo of Osvaldo Mion with sister Ines at niece Maria’s baptism.
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The alter at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in 1908. The church was built in about 1866. The second oldest Catholic Church in Hamilton, Ohio.
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A photo of Rosemarie (Canavan) Noeldechen
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I’ve “rescued” an old photograph of Rev. W. R. DILL which was taken at the Lawson’s Studio in Troy, OH. The photograph appears to have been taken in the 1880’s with Rev. DILL likely in his 30’s or 40’s at the time the photograph was taken. Rev. DILL signs the back of the photograph with the sentiment “Christian Compliments” and notes that the photograph was a gift to E. M. THAYER. I’m hoping to locate someone from this DILL Family so that the photograph can be returned to the care of family. If you are a member of this family, or you know someone who might be, please contact me.
Thanks,
Shelley
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A photo of Elizabeth Mercy Kerwen's priest Fr. Robert Ecker who also spoke at Graduation Exercises for Bay Ridge High School where she taught speech.
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A photo of Elizabeth Mercy Kerwen's Catholic Church, Our Lady of Angels.
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This is a view of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Abbottstown, PA taken on Sept. 2, 1934 by my father, Norman A. Mort.
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This is a picture of two Catholic priests--Father Murray on the left and Father Burke on the right. The location is unknown. The year on the side of the photo looks to be 1934, but maybe could be told better by the cars in the background.
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This is Father Hayden, a Catholic priest, standing on the steps of the Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church in Doylesburg, PA in 1935, according to the year at the side of the photo.
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This church has been tore down in 2010 outside of Odin, Watonwan, Minnesota Many of my family are buried in the Cemetery outside of the church
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A photo of the SWEET HOME SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH, BELTON ARKANSAS
Merrell Cemetery
Hempstead County Arkansas
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A photo of the Bethesda Lutheran Church Class of 1944!
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I've "rescued" an old photograph of Father Thomas C. MOORE which was taken at the Thomson Studio in Kansas City, MO on 7 Dec 1886. Father MOORE appears to be in his 40's or 50's at the time the photograph was taken. Based on limited research I was able to locate the following details regarding the priest:
Rev. Thomas Corydon MOORE was b. 1840 in Ireland and died 28 Dec 1904 in Las Vegas, NM and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Plattsburg, MO.
Census records provide the following details:
1880 census of Georgetown, KY: - boarding in the home of Pat MCCULLOUGH
Thomas C. MOORE, age 40, a Catholic Priest, born Ireland, parents born Ireland
1900 census of Kansas City, MO (First Ward - First Street):
Thomas MOORE, age 60, born Apr 1840, born Ireland, parents born Ireland, to USA 1852, a Catholic Priest
+ 1 Housekeeper
I am hoping to locate someone from his family so that the photograph can be returned to their care. If you are a member of this family, or you know someone who might be, please contact me.
Thanks,
Shelley
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A photo of Lindenwald Baptist Church members in about 1962 in Hamilton (Lindenwald), Butler County, Ohio with Rev. R. H Van Nortwick.
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A photo of Pauline E Tibbetts and family
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A photo of Columba Devlin (1922-81), President of Saint Francis College
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A photo of Ivor Raymond Trower-Foyan
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A photo of Albert Payson Terhune's Father: Rev. Edward Payson Terhune. He wrote a book about his father.
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A photo of an unknown girl. I am thinking this might be her first communion in the Catholic Church photo.
From the family album, identity unknown.
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This is a photo of the church and carillion spire at Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA. No date, but probably in the 1920's or 1930's.
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This is an unmailed undated postcard, with the notation on the front--"Interior, St. Mary's Church, Paradise. PA". Possible date in the 1920's.
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This is an undated postcard view of St. Mary's Our Lady of Refuge Church before it was burnt and remodeled.
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A photo of James Smith Bush, great-grandfather of George H. W. Bush. He was an Episcopal priest, religious writer, and attorney.
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