Ohio, Cleveland Trinity Lutheran Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains church records from the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio and includes baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, communions, congregational registers and other miscellaneous records. The collection covers the years 1853-1986.

These records are in German so you will need to be able to understand written German. For help with reading the records, see the wiki article German Word List.

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following:


 * Full name of person being baptized
 * Baptism date
 * Birth date
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records usually contain the following:


 * Marriage date
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Where the marriage license was obtained

Death records usually contain the following:


 * Name of deceased
 * Age
 * Death date
 * Burial date

How to Use the Record
To begin your search you will need to know the following information:


 * The ancestor’s name
 * The type of event (such as the baptism)
 * The approximate date of the event

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" category which takes you to the images.

Many of these volumes have indexes at the beginning or end. You should search these first. If your ancestor is in the index download a copy or write down the page numbers listed for your ancestor. You can then quickly turn to those pages.

If you do not find your ancestor in the index, look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in German so you will need to be able to understand written German. For help with reading the records, see the wiki article German Word List.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use birth and baptismal records to identify a person’s birth date and place.
 * Use the age given inthe death record to calculate the person’s birth date.
 * Use marriage records to identify a couple, and the marriage date and place and to begin compiling a family group.
 * Use church records in general to identify other family members who may have served as witnesses to an event.
 * Use the date of the event along with the locality to find the family in census records and land records.
 * Use the names of the parents to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * An infant’s christening usually took place within a few days or weeks of the birth.
 * Church records are considered a primary source. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the minister, or a clerk appointed by the minister, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.
 * Extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names.
 * Check the records of other congregations in the area or nearby communities.
 * Check the records of other religious sects in the area or nearby communities.

Related Websites

 * Trinity Lutheran Church
 * Ohio Lutheran Church Records and Histories

Related Wiki Articles

 * Lutheran Church in the United States
 * Ohio Church Records

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.