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

What is in the Collection?
The Catholic Parish 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. This collection includes records for the dates 1796-2004. Some records for some parishes are available for the following Ohio counties:

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
This collection usually contains the following information:

Baptism 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 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 priest

Marriage Records


 * Groom's name and place of residence
 * Date and place of groom's baptism
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's name and place of residence
 * Date and place of bride's baptism
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of priest

Death, Burial, and Cemetery Records


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

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select City/town/village
 * 3) Select Parish
 * 4) Select Record type and year range

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the Catholic Parish records, 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.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * 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 censuses. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who 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. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Known Issues with This Collection
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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.


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