Mexico, Querétaro, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection of civil records for Querétaro covers the years 1864 to 2005.

The civil registration records for Mexico cover the vital events of birth, marriages, and deaths, are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95 percent of the population. Beginning in 1859, the Mexican government began requiring births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded by civil authorities on a municipality/district level. Although these records are a great source of genealogical information, they are not complete as civil registration wasn't strictly enforced in Mexico until 1867 and people did not always comply. For this reason, it is suggested to use church registers alongside the civil records to help in your research. The civil records of Mexico have been preserved relatively well. Only some of the older registers may have some physical damage; however, in general they are in good condition and are a reliable source to extract genealogical information.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. Here is a link to a Spanish Genealogical Word List;  also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Birth records may contain the following:


 * Date and place of birth
 * Name and gender of child
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names, residence, and/or place of origin
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records may contain the following:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Their civil statuses (widowed, single, divorced) at the time of the event
 * Place of origin and residence of the bride and groom
 * Names of parents
 * Name of witnesses

Death records may contain the following:


 * Place and date of death
 * Name of the deceased
 * Civil status of principal at time of death
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death
 * Parents’ names
 * Sometimes, place of burial

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page. br>
 * 1) Select City or Municipality
 * 2) Select Record Type and Years
 * 3) Select final browse level to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Spanish records see the following guides:
 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?
To learn more about using the information available in these records, view these lessons for free:
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales - Spanish

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in the 1930 Mexico National Census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Unable to find your ancestor? Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Guanajuato is to the west, San Luis Potosí to the north, Hidalgo to the east, Estado de México to the southeast, and Michoacán to the southwest.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Querétaro Catholic Church records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

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