Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Entries are recorded in register books in columns or in paragraphs without columns. Records are organized by county, then by community, and finally by parish within each community. Some records for some parishes are available for the following Ohio counties:

This collection will include records for the dates 1796-2004.

Some parishes, especially German speaking ones, were served by the same priest and so records appear very similar in the various parishes during the time period when they served.

Example: St. Mary, Sandusky, Erie County and St. Sebastian, Bismark, Huron County shared the same priests during their early years.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for this Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records

Digital images of originals housed at various municipal archives throughout Ohio.

Record Content
Genealogical information in church birth and christening records includes:


 * Birth and christening dates and places
 * Names of parents and children, witnesses, and godparents

Genealogical information in church confirmation records includes:


 * Names of parents and children
 * Birth and christening dates and places
 * Ages of children confirmed

Genealogical information in church death and burial records includes:


 * Names of persons and their parents, spouses, and children
 * Birth, death, and burial dates and places
 * Ages of persons
 * Places of residence

Genealogical information in church marriage records includes:


 * Names of husbands and wives, parents, and witnesses
 * Birth, marriage, and divorce dates and places
 * Ages of husbands and wives
 * Places of residence

How to Use the Records
Compare the information you find in the probate records to what you already know about your ancestors to determine which record is about your ancestor. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use christening and birth records of christenings (baptisms) to identify a person’s birth date and place. They are an excellent substitute for civil birth information.
 * Use church records of confirmations to identify a person’s birth date and place or his or her age. If only the age is given, use it to calculate the person’s birth date.
 * Use church records of deaths or burials to identify a person’s birth date and place.
 * Use age at death or burial to calculate a person’s birth date. They are an excellent substitute for civil death information.
 * Use church records of marriages to identify a couple, the marriage date and place, and to begin compiling a family group. They are an excellent substitute for civil marriage information.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection, see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Catholic Diocese of Toledo

Related Wiki Articles
More information about church records can be found at:


 * Ohio Church Records
 * Toleldo, Ohio
 * United States Church Records

Contributions to This Article
We welcome user additions to FamilySearch Historical Records wiki articles. Guidelines are available to help you make changes. Thank you for any contributions you may provide. If you would like to get more involved join the WikiProject FamilySearch Records.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004," index and images, FamilySearch(FamilySearch.com: accessed 16 May 2012), Williams &gt; Bryan &gt; St.Patrick &gt; 1915-2002 Deaths &gt; image 1 of 38; Dale Waller, 19 Oct 1918; citing Church Records, Catholic diocese of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.