Philippines, Eastern Samar, Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include parish registers of births, marriages, deaths, and confirmations for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar, Philippines from 1842-1984. Original records are located in the Diocese Offices in Borongan.

Reading These Records
Some of these records are in Spanish. For help reading them see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Script Tutorial for Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Confirmation
 * Name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents and, sometimes, grandparents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Bride’s parents’ names
 * Marital status of groom and bride

Death
 * Name, gender, and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Names and residences of informants/witnesses

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select Barangay
 * 3) Select Parish
 * 4) Select Record Type, Year Range (Volume Numbers) to view the images.

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing This Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as they were pronounced. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Spanish name abbreviations may also be helpful with names
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Alternatively, try expanding the date range
 * Search the records of nearby localities. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon
 * Philippines Civil Registration records are a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * The Philippines Births and Baptisms, Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records may also be useful.
 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.  You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated record

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Philippines.
 * Record Finder

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.