"Genealogists researching American families face the prospect of working with a variety of baptismal records, all of which have different meanings and carry different implications. To fully exploit the information that is available in various baptismal records, family historians must know what lies behind them. This [book] explores baptismal beliefs and practices of the various religious denominations that established churches in Colonial America. In addition, the author details many of the reasons why genealogists experience difficulty finding some early records and provides both research hints and solutions to some of the mysteries behind problem baptismal records"--Back cover.