Zion Lutheran Church (Jackson Township), Hope Lutheran Church (Fostoria, Ohio) records
Collection Overview
Abstract
The collection, dating from 1837 to 1952, with some family records beginning in 1803, consists of church and family record books and minutes of the Ladies Aid Society and Luther League. These records constitute an addition to the items originally transferred in 1982.
Dates
- Creation: 1837-1952
Extent
1 Cubic Feet (2 microform rolls)
Creator
- Zion Lutheran Church (Jackson Township, Ohio) (Organization)
Scope and Contents
The Zion Lutheran Church collection documents the establishment and development of a rural church in an area settled predominantly by German immigrants. The documents pose some research difficulty as during the early years of the church the records were written in German. The Church and Family Record Books (1803-1952) document in detail the births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths of church members as well as the business conducted during the congregational and church council (vestry) meetings.
The minutes of the Ladies Aid Society provide insights into the educational, social, and fund-raising activities of the women of the congregation but only for the time period 1907-1915. Similarly, the Luther League minutes (1926-1928) document the activities of this youth organization for only a short time span.
The Hope Lutheran Church records consist of three volumes of record books spanning the period from 1789 to 1954. The first volume, written in German, spans the period from 1789 to 1894 and contains the church's constitution and membership list, a family register, and records of baptisms, confirmations, communicants, and deaths. The second volume also contains records of baptisms, marriages, confirmations, communicants, and deaths for the period from [1822] to 1954, but this information was recorded in English. The third volume contains a record of donations made by members on a weekly basis for the three year period from 1902 through 1904. This volume also includes minutes of meetings of the church council and the church congregation for the same period.
Biographical / Historical
The Zion Lutheran Church was first established on June 18, 1838, by Reverend Adolph Conrad of Tiffin, Ohio, who served as the first pastor. Reverend Edward Kornbaum became the first resident pasator in 1852. The congregation's first building was a log structure which also ws used as a schoolhouse. The second church building was built in 1852 and the current brick structure, located east of Fostoria off of Route 12, was dedicated on September 21, 1890.
All services were held in German until the 1880's when the English service and hymnal were introduced. In 1952 the church disbanded with its membership and property being transferred to the First Hope Lutheran Church in Fostoria, Ohio.
Conditions Governing Access
No known access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records of the Zion Lutheran Church, Jackson Township, Seneca County, Ohio, were loaned for microfilming to the Center for Archival Collections in July 1982. The records of the Hope Lutheran Church of Fostoria, Ohio were transferred for microfilming to the Center for Archival Collections in January 1993 with the cooperation of Sylvia M. Leonard.
Processing Information
The finding aid was prepared by Ann Bowers, Curator of Manuscripts, in August 1982. The addition was prepared for microfilming by Monica Manny in February 1993.
- Title
- Guide to the Zion Lutheran Church (Jackson Township), Hope Lutheran Church (Fostoria, Ohio) records
- Author
- Ann Bowers, Monica Manny, Madeleine Williams
- Date
- August 1982, February 1993, February 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin