Daily AncestorReceived by letter
Received by letter means a person joined a church by bringing a letter from their former church certifying they were a member in good standing.
Baptist churches in particular moved members this way. The letter served as a transfer of membership from one church to another.
If the minutes name the church the letter came from, you have the family's previous home. Look for the matching dismissed by letter entry in that church's book a few weeks or months earlier.
As seen in a recordBaptist church minutes, 1790s to 1900s
Sister Polly Gant received by letter from Flat Rock Church
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Received by letter." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/received-by-letter. Last checked 2026-10-03.