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

Record Content
This collection usually contains the following information:

Birth Records


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date of birth
 * Parents' names including maiden name of mother
 * Names of sponsors or witnesses
 * Name of officiating priest

Confirmation Records


 * Confirmation date and place
 * Given name, surname and confirmation (Catholic) name of child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents
 * Name of officiating priest

Marriage Records


 * Groom's name and place of residence
 * Date and place of groom's baptism
 * Names of groom's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Bride's name and place of residence
 * Date and place of bride's baptism
 * Names of bride's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of pastor

Death and burial records


 * Death date and burial date
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Name of officiating priest
 * Name of cemetery in which interred

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of the primary individual such as the child
 * Other identifying information such as the birth or marriage date

Search the Collection
To search the collections: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "County" category ⇒Select the "City/Town/Village" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Year Range" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image 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. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

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

 * Ohio Church Records
 * Toledo, Ohio
 * United States Church Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image citation: