Ohio Church Records

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Historical Background
By 1900 the prominent denominations in Ohio were Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian. There were also groups of Baptists, Lutherans, and Society of Friends. Religion in Ohio was an early and important factor in settlement. The first Moravian mission was established in 1772. Presbyterians and Quakers were in the state at an early date, the latter having established forty-three monthly meetings and settlements between 1801 and 1883. The Presbyterians founded seventeen towns between 1784 and 1799. Baptists, Congregationalists, several reformed groups, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, United Brethren, Methodists, and Catholics arrived prior to 1850. By 1890 the latter two denominations were the largest in the state. The Methodist circuit in Ohio was organized in 1798, with circuit riders traveling from log cabins to camp meetings across the territory. In 1831 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrated from New York to Kirtland in Lake County.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Indexes

 * 1762-2008 - Ohio, Church Records, 1762-2008 - Index and images. Incomplete.
 * 1821-1962 - Index only.
 * 1800-1958 - Index only.
 * 1854-1997 - Index only.

Ancestry.com Indexes

 * 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings, Index, 1800-1962 ($)
 * 1789-1898 - Ohio Marriages, 1789-1898 ($)
 * 1789-1898 - Ohio, Marriages Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, 1789-1898 ($)
 * 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 ($)

Dutch Reformed

 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1800-1947 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 - U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Quakers (Society of Friends)

 * Shaker membership card index
 * 1681-1935 - U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index and images, ($).
 * Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. IV: (Ohio Monthly Meetings) ($)
 * Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. V: (Ohio Monthly Meetings) ($)

Shakers

 * Shaker Membership Card Index.

Roman Catholic

 * Catholic Heritage Archive Scroll down to Ohio listings. Dioceses of Cincinnati and Toledo

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Ohio.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Ohio and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Ohio [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.


 * Data Abstracted from the Laws of Ohio, 1803-1900 Lists of Incorporated churches before 1850

Baptist

 * The Records of American Baptists in Ohio, and Related Organizations. WorldCat'''

Methodist

 * In Guide to the Manuscript Collection of Early Ohio Methodism: United Methodist Church of Ohio you will find additional help in locating Methodist records.

Presbyterian

 * Historical Records Survey (Ohio). Inventory of the Church Archives of Ohio Presbyterian Churches. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972. Family History Library films 854488, 899320-22.

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Historical Societies
Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Center 800 E. 17th Ave. Columbus Ohio, 43211 Phone:614.297.2300 Toll-free:800.686.6124
 * Search Collection
 * A Guide to Manuscripts at the Ohio Historical Society WorldCat

Western Reserve Historical Society 10825 East Boulevard Cleveland, Ohio 44106 Phone: (216) 721-5722 Email: info@wrhs.org
 * Library Collections Search
 * WRHS Genealogy Index
 * The Family History Library has film copies of the manuscript collection in the Western Reserve Historical Society. Search by town or name of church.

Lutheran
ELCA Region 6 Archives Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University 2199 East Main Street Columbus, OH 43209-2334 Phone:(614) 236-6855 E-mail: reg6archives@capital.edu
 * Contact the archives for Records of closed congregations
 * For all other congregations, contact the local church.

Methodist
Methodist Historical Commission L.A. Beeghly Library Ohio Wesleyan University 43 Rowland Avenue Delaware, OH 43015 Phone: (740) 368-3285


 * "Methodist Ministers Card Index: All Ohio Conferences, 1797-1981". Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society, 1982.

Moravian

 * The Northern Province Moravian Archives
 * 41 West Locust Street
 * Bethlehem, PA 18018
 * Phone: 610.866.3255
 * E-mail: info@moravianchurcharchives.org


 * Website
 * Bethlehem Digital History Project
 * Digital Resources
 * Search Our Church Registers Index
 * Inventory of Church Registers
 * Online Finding Aid
 * Schedule a Visit


 * Moravian Missions Among American Indians. Information concerning missions to the American Indians visit.
 * Records of the Moravian Mission among the Indians of North America |Index

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives Chancery Office 100 E. Eighth Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 421-3131 Fax: (513) 421-6225 E-mail: [mailto:commdir@archdiocese-cinti.org commdir@archdiocese-cinti.org] The dioces includes the counties of: Adams, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby, Warren.
 * Cincinnati Roman Catholic Parish Congregational Records Online
 * Catholic Heritage Archive Scroll down to Ohio listings. Dioceses of Cincinnati and Toledo.
 * Genealogy
 * Genealogical Online Request
 * The Archives holds copies of baptism, marriage, and burial registers of every open and closed parish in the Archdiocese. Please note that the Archives does not have the sacramental registers for parishes that were once in the territory of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati but are no longer. Please contact the current diocese the parish resides in. Telephone and email requests are not accepted and we are unable to host in-person researchers.

Diocese of Cleveland Archives 1404 East 9th St. Cleveland, OH 44114 Phone: (216) 696-6525 (800) 869-6525 (Ohio only) Fax: (216) 621-7332 The diocese includes the counties of: Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne.
 * Sacramental Records
 * Location of Sacramental Records of Closed and Merged Institutions
 * For open parishes, contact the local parish.

Diocese of Columbus Archives 198 E. Gay St. Columbus, OH 43215 Phone: (614) 228-2457 Catholic Record Society of the Diocese of Columbus


 * The Diocese of Columbus created the Catholic Record Society, a group that has published a monthly journal since 1975 called The Barquilla. This journal contains articles as well as transcriptions of records (e.g. baptisms, marriages, burial records). There is a subject index that allows users to identify which journal contains desired information, and an online issues listing, which provides links to free online issues of the journal from 1975 on.
 * Research & Records, Requesting Copies

The diocese includes the counties of: Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Hardin, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Washington.

Diocese of Steubenville Archives 422 Washington Street P.O. Box 969 Steubenville, OH 43952 Phone: (740) 282-3631 Ext.263 Fax: (740) 282-3327
 * Historical and Genealogical Research
 * Genealogical Request Form

The diocese includes the counties of: Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Washington.

Diocese of Toledo Archives Chancery Office 1933 Spielbusch Avenue P.O. Box 985 Toledo, OH 43697-0985 Phone: (419) 244-6711 Fax: (419) 244-4791 The diocese includes the counties of: Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot.
 * Catholic Heritage Archive Scroll down to Ohio listings. Dioceses of Cincinnati and Toledo
 * Ohio, Diocese Of Toledo Catholic Parish Records 1796-2004 Image Browse, at FindMyPast, ($)
 * , images.

Diocese of Youngstown Chancery Office 144 West Wood Street Youngstown, OH 44503 Phone: (330) 744-8451 Fax: (330) 742-6448 E-mail: chancery@youngstowndiocese.org The diocese includes the counties of: Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark and Trumbull.
 * Contact the local parish.

Society of Friends (Quakers)
Wilmington College Watson Library''' Pyle Center 1227 1870 Quaker Way Wilmington, OH 45177 Phone: 937.481.2345 E-mail: library@wilmington.edu

Consult the PERSI index for records published in journals.
PERSI is the Periodical Source Index and is available at FindMyPast.com:PERSI., ($). It can be searched for free at any Family History Center. PERSI is an index to family and local history periodicals from 1847 to the present. Many of these periodicals publish church records. If you locate an index entry for a church, you will then need to find the periodical. Use the WorldCat.org search engine to find a library near you that carries the periodical. Library reference desks can be contacted to request a copy of articles, or you may need to hire a researcher.
 * PERSI results for filters "Ohio" and "Church Records" ($) Reset the search for the name of the church or denomination and the town in Ohio to narrow the search.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Ohio Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.