UPDATE 2015
I am pleased
to announce that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives are once again
excepting requests for records they hold. The following is the link to
their website regarding Genealogy
Requests. Note on their website that not all of the
information as given below is the same today. Not only has the mailing
address changed, the number of records that can be ordered for the $25 fee
is now 4 instead of 8 and the date for records has been changed from 1920
to 1930. There may be other differences as well. At this time, I am
leaving the former or "old" policy here as there may be some information
that will help to guide you when requesting records.
Be
sure to also check the Parish
Profiles section on this website, which I am in the process of
trying to update. Some of the links to various parishes are no longer
working and some of the parishes have merged with others since these
pages were set up. Never the less, the parish histories may help you
determine which parish or parishes your ancestor may have attended.
Old Policy as of 2008
Research
Services: Historical Archives of the Chancery, Archdiocese of
Cincinnati
The Historical Archives of the Chancery
maintains a master set of Catholic sacramental records, on microfiche, for
the nineteen county area of Southwestern Ohio over which the Archdiocese
of Cincinnati currently presides. However, these records are not open to
the general public, and may only be handled by authorized personnel. A
small staff and the confidential nature of the sacramental records combine
to make this restriction a necessary one. This
office may issue only records dated prior to January 1, 1920.
Please note that nineteenth century sacramental records often omit
information that we consider standard today. For example, marriage records
do not always give the date and place of the spouses' births or the names of
their parents.
Individuals seeking genealogical information are required to submit requests
by mail (no exceptions) to:
Historical Archives of the Chancery
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
212 East Eighth St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Requests must contain the following four
items for a search to be initiated:
- The full name of the individual whose record you are requesting.
- The type of record you wish researched (baptism, confirmation, first
communion, marriage, and/or death).
- The approximate date (within three to five years) that record was
created.
- The parish church in which the record was recorded or if you do not
know the exact parish, then the address or neighborhood of the
individual (in the case of cities such as Cincinnati or Dayton). If you
are researching a nineteenth century marriage, it is necessary to
include the bride’s parish or her parents’ address at the time of the
wedding.
There is a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) fee
to help cover the expense of the office and staff for one hour of
research. In this hour, eight to
ten records (not names) can be searched for. For instance, you can
ask for baptism, marriage, and death records for three people or eight
baptisms – any combination of records and names not exceeding eight to ten
records. If you have more than eight to ten records you want
researched please submit the first request with the twenty-five dollar fee,
then wait until you receive a reply and then submit the next request with
another twenty-five dollar fee. This fee is the minimum fee whether you are
requesting one record or ten. It is therefore more cost effective to
wait until you have several records to request.
Please make your check or money order (do
not send cash) payable to the Historical Archives of the Chancery. Please
allow six to eight weeks for a reply. We regret that due to the
volume of requests and limited staff time, we are unable to do extensive
research for genealogists. We can spend no more than one hour of staff time
per letter.
Chancellor’s Statement on
Genealogical Research in the Sacramental Records
The Archives of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is not a library or public
genealogy room. The records preserved there are the private administrative
records of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The sacramental records, in many
cases, contain confidential information that is not open to the public (e.g.
information on adoptions). For those reasons, genealogical research in the
sacramental records will be done only by the Archives staff. The sacramental
records are not open to public research.
The genealogical researcher has the right to ask the Archives for
information which is public in nature and pertains to the researcher or
his/her ancestors. One of the responsibilities of the Archives staff is to
assist, as time permits, persons involved in genealogical research. But this
is not their primary responsibility.
We believe this policy provides a balance between the researcher’s needs and
the needs for personal privacy and institutional confidentiality.
Issued this first day of July, 2003.
Reverend Joseph Binzer, Chancellor of the Archdiocese
With the approval of the Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of
Cincinnati
© 1998-2008 by David J. Endres