Chile Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Civiles de Chile

Record Description
This collection includes records of births, marriages, and deaths for various localities in Chile from 1885 to 1903.

All the records are written in Spanish; see the "For Help Reading these Records" section below for translation guides.

For a complete list of all the provincias and comunas included in this collection, see the Provinces of Chile - Civil Registration coverage table.

These records are organized by province, according to the jurisdictions in place at the time of the creation of the records.

The "Related Websites" section below includes some links to some old jurisdictions.

The majority of the records have been well-preserved. Some may be faded but are still readable if the image is enlarged. Some earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, however, the majority of the records were handwritten in formatted registers with a similar style as to a ledger.

Only records from a few localities have been indexed. Use the browse link to view all the images published to date.

More records and images will be added as they become available.

Record Content
The information in each record varies by year.

Death records may contain the following information:
 * Date of the registration
 * Name of deceased
 * Gender, age, nationality, and occupation of deceased
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Date, place, and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Burial place
 * Name of the registrant
 * Registrant’s age, occupation, and residence

How to Use the Record
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.

Regarding marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To search by image: To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Province" ⇒ Select the "Municipality" ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images and compare the information with what you already know about your ancestor to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information
Watch these free videos about using birth, marriage, and death information:
 * Encontré este Registro ¿y Ahora Qué?
 * ¿Y Ahora Qué? Cómo Hacer la Investigación Genealógica
 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records Chile Census.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church records Chile Church Records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the municipality. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other municipalities.
 * 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 marital status to identify previous marriages (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage).
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

Tips To Keep in Mind
When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married 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.

Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring state or region, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records Chile Emigration and Immigration. Watch this free video (in English) about finding immigrants from Chile to the United States: U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: Finding their Place of Origin.

Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.
 * Chile Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Chile Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Chile Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Tesoros Ocultos en los Registros Originales-Free course video in Spanish
 * Secuencia Correcta al Buscar en Registros Parroquiales-Free course video in Spanish
 * Documentos Esenciales para Buscar a Sus Antepasados-Free course video in Spanish
 * National Archives of Chile-Website is in Spanish
 * SciELO-Historia (Santiago) División Político-administrativa de Chile, 1786-1826 (41 n.2, julio-diciembre 2008: 447-493. ISSN 0073-2435)-Article is in Spanish

Related Wiki Articles

 * Chile Civil Registration
 * Chile Cemeteries
 * Chile

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found it. This will help you or others to find the same record again.

Keep track of records where you did not find information about your ancestor so you and others will not waste time looking through these records in the future.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.