Daily AncestorHalf-Way Covenant
The Half-Way Covenant let New England parents who were baptized but not full members own the covenant publicly, so their children could be baptized.
Full membership in Puritan churches required a personal account of conversion, and many second-generation adults never gave one. Ministers in 1657 and a synod in 1662 allowed such parents to affirm the church covenant, called owning the covenant, and have their children baptized, though they could not take communion.
Congregational church books record who owned the covenant, often just before a baptism or marriage. It is a sign the person was raised in that church.
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Daily Ancestor. "Half-Way Covenant." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/half-way-covenant. Last checked 2026-10-03.