Argentina Cemeteries

Cemetery Records
There are two major types of cemetery records in Argentina:
 * 1) Information recorded on gravestones called monumental inscriptions, including transcripts of this information.
 * 2) Information recorded by cemetery officials/caretakers including sexton's records, public cemetery records, church yard records, burial ground records, plot books and maps.

Cemetery records may give more information than church burial registers or civil certificates of deaths. They may include the name of the deceased person, age, date of death or burial, birth year or date of birth, and sometimes marriage information.

They may also provide clues about military service, religion, occupation, and place of residence at time of death.

Some of the inscriptions on gravestones and monuments inscriptions have been transcribed and are found in manuscripts and printed books in libraries. The Family History Library has copies of a few of these books. For example:


 * Hanon, Maxine, and Alfonsin Jorge. El Pequeño Cementerio Protestante de la Calle del Socorro, en la Cuidad de Buenos Ayres 1821–1833.(A Small Protestant Cementery on the Street of Socorro, in Buenos Aires.) Buenos Aires, Argentina: J Alfonsin, 1998. (FHL book 982.11/B1 V3a .)

Unfortunately, many persons could not afford a gravestone or monument. Therefore, search also the other type of cemetery records, such as burial books, and sexton records, especially the plot books.

These records are especially helpful for identifying ancestors who were not recorded in other records, such as children who died young or women.

Because relatives may be buried in adjoining plots, it is best to examine the original record, rather than to rely on alphabetized transcripts.

To find tombstone or sexton records, you need to know where an individual was buried. The person may have been buried in a church, community, or private cemetery, usually near the place where he or she lived or died. You can find clues to burial places in funeral notices, church records, and death certificates.

There are some good references for information on the history of cemeteries in Buenos Aires. Check the following:


 * Alfonín, Jorge. Cementerios de Disidentes Protestantes en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. (Protestant Dissidents Cementaries in the City of Buenos Aires.) Buenos Aires, Argentina: Alfonsin, Jorge, 1996. (FHL book 982.11/B1 V3aj.)

This book covers the history and background of several cemeteries in Buenos Aires:


 * Del Socorro, Victoria, Rincon de Las Cruces, Disidentes en Chacarita, Aleman, Victoria and Britanico. Núñez, Luis F. Los Cementerios. (The Cementaries). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ediciones Culturales Argentinas, 1970. (FHL book 982 V3n.)

This book has the history of how the different cemeteries came into existence.

Additional Cemetery Records
Other sources of cemetery records include:


 * The present sexton or minister who may have the burial registers and the records of the burial plots.
 * A local library, historical society, or local historian may have the records or can help you locate obscure family plots or relocated cemeteries.

Few sextons' records and transcripts of tombstone information have been published. Some may be found in local genealogical periodicals.

Additional Resources at the Family History Library
The Family History Library has copies of a few sexton and tombstone records. These and books of monumental inscriptions are listed in the locality section of the Family History Library Catalog under:

ARGENTINA - CEMETERIES

ARGENTINA, PROVINCE - CEMETERIES

ARGENTINA, PROVINCE, CITY - CEMETERIES