Zion Lutheran Church (Jackson Township), Hope Lutheran Church (Fostoria, Ohio) records

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.