I understand the Evangelical Lutheran Zion's Church, Missouri Synod, at Third and Mound, in downtown Columbus, Ohio was founded June 18, 1882. Where did the Lutherans meet before that? I know of one possibility: Trinity Lutheran, ELCA, at Fulton and Third was organized 1848. But their records are the minutes of meetings where the names of those receiving the various Sacraments were mentioned - and of course they are in German script. I need someone who can read enough German script to know Baptism from died and who is willing to search for me - the church office tells me they are looking also because of all the requests they are getting from such as us. I would bet a lot of money maybe a dollar that our ancestors are in those records. They have them on micro-fiche and ask for advanced notice of a visit. I have found religion to be a very important tool in tracking our ancestors. And I have found the study of the various religions of my ancestors to be very rewarding - spiritually. If your families are like mine you will find their names spelled many, many, many - that is too numerous to count - ways in the various records. In my current family I have found several signatures spread out over several generations - I am using other records to bring the line from Europe to the first signature - when my German speaking ancestor took the two oaths on the steps of Philadelphia's City Hall - one pledging loyalty to King George and the other abhorring the Roman Catholics and all those who where plotting to over throw King George. And of course religious wars raged through the Rhine River Valley from the time of Luther into the 1700's. So religion is a most important part of the story of our German speaking ancestors (and of course others). That is if you are interested in more than the old dry bones~ In colonial days I have found it to be very important to know what church they attended. Such information has been a great help in sorting out families and filling in the gaps between the very scarce signatures. And all along that long route from Europe to Pennsylvania I have found many people who have helped me. Cumberland County Historical Society has 27 volumes - maybe more now- of church records indexed in such a way as to be very helpful even if one has to some research by mail. And in York and Lancaster County there have been many church records and people most willing to answer questions about early churches and their ministers. And believe me before 1900 our ancestors all had a church affiliation. Almost all of them were Baptized and very few of them are buried outside a church cemetery - although toward the end of that period some of the cemeteries were becoming a bit ecumenical. I have asked these questions several times before but no one seems to have the answer - or be willing to post it. What churches were in downtown Columbus before 1900? And what is the current address and name of the survivors of these early churches? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is one example of what I have been preaching. My great-grandfather Samuel MATEER married Rebecca SHAWLEY in Crescent, Ohio, in 1859. The marriage was solemnized by the minister M. LAY, Pastor of the E. L. Church. In that record Samuel was still MATER, a left over from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, but in 1860 and after in Columbus, Ohio he was always MATEER. He signed the marriage license. His father, George MATER married Elizabeth KINDER in 1823 in the Lutheran Church of Carlisle. The SHAWLEY family in Cumberland County were SHALLY from SCHALLY in Pfalz. In Pfalz they were Reformerite but after a generation in Pennsylvania they were Evangelisch and members of the Lutheran Church of Carlisle. Surely these good Lutherans continued for one more generation? Or maybe they joined a different Columbus Church? The staff of the church office of the Lutheran church on South High -which relocated from Third and Mound in 1954- have been most helpful. But their records from the early church do not have my family names. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is a short list of events that must be in some Columbus church record. Samuel Mateer and Rebecca had three daughters: May married before 1880 to Forest RICHMOND. They had three boys who were surely Baptized somewhere:Arthur, Mitchell and Forest. The second daughter, Flora Bell MATEER, married Burt NELSON about 1885. They had a son Earl was Baptized somewhere. The third daughter, Anna Maude MATEER married Louis C. LAUBE we think in Columbus about May 17, 1889. I can't believe that we have not been able to find her marriage record. We find records in Pfalz but in my home town I can't find my own grandmother's marriage date. `````````````````````` Annie Elizabeth SHAWLEY married William A. TROXEL in Crescent in 1856, before a civil magistrate. They also lived in Columbus and died there in 1908 and 1899. They and other members of the family mentioned here are buried in Greenlawn but those records do not indicate church affiliation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Their religion in Columbus is very important in telling this last chapter Because in addition to the long line of Lutheran described above the LAUBE line includes both Roman Catholic and Reformierte. How our grandparents managed to combine all of this and become utterly involved and very active in Masonry will be a most interesting story - but we need some facts out of Franklin County - at least equivalent to those we have dug up from much earlier days. Rootweb message boards have played a very important part in our search and we are grateful Best regards to the list Hal