Baptist congregations are rather individualistic. Many were in existence without belonging to any formal organization. Furthermore there were, and are, more than one Baptist organization to which a congregation could belong. The information gathered here is from the major organization, from 1848 called the Regular Baptist Union of Canada, and renamed the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec in 1888.

In the Baptist Convention, there is a structure (called an Association) above the congregation level, which for the Peterborough area was:
    Haldimand Association to 1870
    East (or Eastern Ont) Assn 1870 - 1887
    Peterborough Association 1888 - 1956
    Trent Valley Assn 1957 to present

Despite the clear existence of congregations, there is no record in Association annual reports of Baptist churches in the Peterborough area until 1856. There are none listed from 1866 to 1884, nor are there any in the East Ontario Association in the Baptist Year Books of 1885 - 86 (although some ministers are listed as in Peterborough). This makes it quite difficult to be certain that all the early Baptist congregations are listed here.

The information here is from the Baptist Year Book (called the Canadian Baptist Register to 1877), the annual reports of the Haldimand Association (to 1870) and the Eastern Ontario Association (1871 - 1887), and other sources such as church histories. Because the meetings were in the spring, the Year Books tended to give information on the previous year, eg the 1891 year Book contains data for 1890, but by the 1920's the Year Book was being published the following January and the list of ministers was updated so that the information was current. If only a year is given, there is some chance that it is out by a year.

Because each congregation is an independent entity, it will have its own records. A congregation is shown as attached to another congregation only in the sense that they had the same minister. The Yearbooks usually show a senior and junior congregation but sometimes do not, so no sense of seniority can be assumed from what is given here.

In 1927 approximately one seventh of the Baptist churches left the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec and formed the Union of Regular Baptist Churches. In 1935 this group was renamed the Fellowship of Independent Baptist Churches, and in 1953 renamed again as the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches. They are generally known as Fellowship Baptist churches.

There are other Baptist organizations. Southern Baptists are in Ontario but not in Peterborough County. United Baptists are not in Ontario.

Baptist churches had a standard Membership Roll Book, the sections of which were:
    Members – three lists, sorted by date of admission
        By Baptism
        By Letter - these are people moving from another church, which is listed.
        By Experience
    Members dismissed by letter - these are people moving to another church, which is listed.
    Members dropped
    Members died - may include where buried
    Membership List. Alphabetical.
    Office Bearers Roll.

Baptists practice adult baptism so baptism records are of lesser value to the genealogist.

Note: Poole says a Baptist church was built near South Dummer pre 1857, and the Peterborough Atlas says a mission was started in Dummer in 1846.