Skip to Main Content

Episcopal Clergy Biographical Research Guide

This guide helps researchers identify reference sources for biographical research of Episcopal clergy.

General Sources

General reference sources include biographies, autobiographies, Episcopal bibliographies, diocesan histories, and congregational histories. Finding these types of sources will help you get a clearer picture of your clergyperson's life and work.


Biographies/autobiographies:

Try searching your clergy person's name in the library catalog. For prominent clergy, there may be an official subject heading associated with their name. This search should tell you whether there is a monograph-length biography or autobiography held by BPL for your clergy person. 


Episcopal Bibliographies:

Many books on the history of the Episcopal Church contain extensive indexes or bibliographies which may refer to your figure. Materials highlighted in other sections of this guide may prove useful here. 

Diocesan Histories:

Researchers can find books on the history of a specific diocese by searching the name of the diocese in the catalog. Usually, there is a corresponding subject heading for the diocese in the format "Episcopal Church. Diocese of ___". Sometimes, the subject headings have multiple divisions, like "history" or "periodicals". 


Congregational or Parish Histories:

Many historic parishes have published their own histories. Find these by searching the name of the church in the library catalog. Often, these are assigned a subject heading in the format "Name of Church, City, State" (e.g. St. Mark's Church, Alexandria, Virginia).