While looking for evidence of some long ago ancestors, I happened upon the website of the Catholic Record Society of the Diocese of Columbus. The site was a pleasant surprise as I found a treasure trove of information about early Catholic baptisms, marriages, and cemetery records for central and eastern Ohio. One word of caution - Do not take a look at the map of the counties included in the diocese and rule out your ancestors before taking a closer look at the data available here. My early Ohio ancestors, the Gates and Guy's, settled in Brown and Adams Counties, which are not one of the counties highlighted on the map. However, remember in those early years of Ohio history, families were not able to travel to distant churches. Priests visited settlements to perform baptisms, marriages, and funerals of which the records of these visits to outlying counties were kept and are included in the data found on this site.
The society newsletter, Barquilla de la Santa Maria, which has been published since 1975, is available online as .pdf files. These contain dates, names, and events that will enrich your family history and might even help you scale that "brick wall" that you are facing. Issues from 1975 to 1987 can be accessed as .pdf files free of charge. Issues from later years are available from the society for $1.00 each. There is an easy-to-find link to the order form.
Links to the Name Indexes for years 1975-1987 will help you locate your surnames and then find them in the appropriate newsletter issues. The indexes for years 1988-2008 tell which issues to order for your research. The Subject Index will allow you to find other topics of interest that are mentioned in the newsletters. It will help you find articles on ethnic groups, genealogies, and Catholic history and education in Ohio. There are also biographies of Catholic bishops and other clergy that served in the state.
Under the "Research & Records" tab, you will find additional links to early Catholic baptism, marriage, and cemetery data. A catalog of the society's photo collection is still under construction, but shows great potential if completed.
If you have Ohio Catholic ancestors, the Catholic Record Society of the Diocese of Columbus is well worth your time.
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