Genealogists can request baptism, marriage, and death records from 1920 or older.

Baptism: Name, date of birth, date of baptism, parents’ names, witnesses, name of priest.

Marriage: Groom’s name, bride’s maiden name, witnesses, date of marriage and priest.

Death: Name of person, date of death, place of internment. *some records include age or cause of death

Expect a 2-4 week turnaround on all genealogy requests sent to the archives. For more immediate needs, researchers are encouraged to use the digitized collection at Find My Past.

You will receive a copy of the original record as it appears in the parish sacramental register. The majority of records are recorded (or partially recorded) in Latin.

Names will often have Latin spellings – endings such as -us and -am

Henricus for Henry, Willelmus/Gulielmus for William, etc.

We do not provide English translations for genealogy records. For help deciphering Latin terms, please see the below key terms:

• Birth (nati, natus, genitus, natales, ortus, oriundus)
• Baptism date (datum baptismi)
• Birth date (datum nativitatis)
• Birth place (locus nativitatis)
• Cemetery (cemeterio)
• Christening (baptismi, baptizatus, renatus, plutus, lautus, purgatus, ablutus, lustratio)
• Child (infans, filius/filia, puer, proles)
• Death, died (obiit, defunctorum, defuncti)
• Father (pater)
• Godparent (patrini, levantes, susceptores, compater, commater, matrina)
• Marriage date (datum matrim)
• Married together with (matrimonium contraxit cum)
• Mother (mater)
• Name and residence (nomen et residentia)
• Parents (parentes, genitores)
• Priest’s name (nomen sacerdotis)
• Witnesses (testes)
• When (quando)
• Where (ubi)
• Years of age (aetatis)

To determine place of residence, we suggest searching vital records (birth, marriage, death), census records, and city directories. Please see our Resources page for more help!

• Calvary Cemetery, Walnut Hills, 1865-current, began as parochial cemetery for St. Francis de Sales
• Christ Cemetery, Liberty and Vine, 1819-1828, affiliated with Christ Church, graves were moved to other Catholic cemeteries after Christ Church relocated in 1822; those that remained in 1858 were removed for construction of St. Francis Seraph and placed in the St. Francis Seraph crypt
• Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Montgomery, 1947-current
• Guardian Angels Cemetery, Mt. Washington, 1904-current
• Holy Rood Cemetery, Glendale, 1887-1920s
• Mount Notre Dame Convent Cemetery, 1860-current, affiliated with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
• Mount St. Joseph Cemetery, 1883-current, affiliated with the Sisters of Charity
• Our Lady of Victory Cemetery, Delhi, 1852-current
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga Cemetery, Bridgetown North,1868-current
• St. Bernard Cemetery, Colerain,1867-current
• St. Clare Convent Cemetery, Mt. Healthy,1896-current, affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
• St. James Cemetery, White Oak, 1843-current
• St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Colerain, 1860-current
• St. John’s Cemetery, St. Bernard, 1849-current
• Old St. Joseph Cemetery, Price Hill, 1843-current
• New St. Joseph Cemetery, Delhi, 1854-current
• St. Mary’s Cemetery, Mt. Healthy, 1861-current, began as parochial cemetery for Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• St. Mary Cemetery, St. Bernard, 1873-current
• St. Michael Cemetery, Madisonville, 1859-current, parochial cemetery for St. Michael, which was renamed St. Anthony in 1891
• St. Patrick Cemetery, North College Hill, 1865-1977, began as parochial cemetery for St. Michael the Archangel
• St. Peter Cemetery, Fairmont, 1843-1849, after the cemetery closed, graves were moved to Old St. Joseph’s
• Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery (old), Reading, 1859-1881
• Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery (new), Reading, 1880-current

The archives holds very few orphanage records:

• St. Vincent Home for Boys
• St. Joseph Infant Maternity Home

The Chancery holds records for Mt. Alverno Protectory for Boys (institutional records and student registers located at Mt. Notre Dame Archives), St. Joseph Infant Asylum, Mount St. Mary’s Training School for Girls, Convent of the Good Shepherd, Baum St., and Our Lady of the Woods (Girls Town).

Records not located at Archdiocesan offices are:

• St. Aloysius Orphanage, Children’s Home of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Orphan Asylum (also The Convalescent Hospital for Children), located at the Cincinnati History Library & Archives (CHLA)
• Bethany Home for Girls and Boys, records at the Archives of the Community of the Transfiguration
• St. Joseph, Dayton, records kept by Catholic Social Services and Wright State Libraries
• St. Peter Orphanage, later St. Joseph Orphanage, Cincinnati, records at St. Joseph

Childcare institutions still in operation are St. Joseph Orphanage, founded in 1829 by the Sisters of Charity (formerly St. Peter Orphanage); and Children’s Home of Cincinnati, founded in 1864.

Orphanages were often run by men and women’s religious communities, such as the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Religious of the Sacred Heart, Sisters of St. Joseph, Society of the Most Precious Blood, and the Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis. If the institution you’re researching was run by one of these religious communities, it may be helpful to contact that particular organization for assistance.