Ohio, Cleveland Trinity Lutheran Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains congregational registers, 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 to 2013.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Church • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The date of death or burial

Search the Index
See View the Images to access the images. Although this collection does not have a searchable index on FamilySearch (only images are available), a partial index is available on the website of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society (MAGS).

The MAGS database includes all records in the first book, titled “Congregational register, 1853-1911.” As such, the following records have been indexed:


 * Baptisms (1853–1875)
 * Confirmations (1854–1882)
 * Marriages (1853–1911)
 * Burials (1853–1888)

The society's Cleveland Trinity Records database is fully searchable to the public for free. To search the database, visit the MAGS website. Click on the "MAGS Databases" tab on the left, then on "Public database search." Finally, click on the "Proceed" button. The database search will open in a new window.

Select "Cleveland Trinity Records" from the "Record Type" drop-down menu. Then either click on the "Search" button or enter a name before doing so. The search is not case-sensitive, but be sure to use German letters (ä, ö, ü, ß) when they are part of the name, as the search does not recognize "o" or "oe," for example, as being the equivalent of "ö." If a partial name search is conducted, the system will look for any person in the database whose name begins with the given combination of letters. That is, searching for "schrö" will bring up "Schröder" results, but searching for "öder" will not.

Clicking on the "Last Name" header will organize the results in ascending or descending alphabetical order by surname if only a partial name was entered into the search.

After having located a search result of interest, click on the eyeball icon on the left to see the details of a record, including the image number, which will help you locate the image in the first book ("Congregational register, 1853-1911") of the FamilySearch collection, on image group number (DGS) 7381458.

'''Sample search ("schrö") and selected search result (Anna Marie Schröder): '''

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Search for vital records such as birth, marriage and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initials
 * Consult the Ohio Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Ohio.
 * Ohio Guided Research
 * Ohio Record Finder
 * Ohio Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Ohio Research, 1880-Present

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Trinity Lutheran church records, 1853-2013
 * Trinity Church, Episcopal, Church Records, 1816-1953

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.