Spain, Diocese of Albacete, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Foreign Language Title
España, Albacete Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica

Collection Time Period
The Family History Library collection of the Roman Catholic Church parish records for the province of Albacete, Spain, covers the years 1504–1979.

Why was this collection created?
Catholic parish registers in Spain were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, marriage, death, burial, and other ordinances.

Collection History
Priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive; however, the older records were sent to the diocesan archive, as it is done today. Some earlier records may have been recreated, because the originals may have been destroyed during the Spanish wars.

How to Use the Collection
The Catholic parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in Spain. They may be the only records available before civil registration was implemented in 1871.

Collection Content
Key genealogical information found in baptismal records: • Date and place of the baptism • Name of the person being baptized • Date and place of birth or age at the time of baptism • If illegitimate • Parents’ names, their residence or place of birth • Names of grandparents and godparents

Key genealogical information found in marriage records: • Date and place of the marriage • Complete names of the bride and groom (including the woman’s maiden name) • Civil status (single, divorced, widowed) at the time of the event • Birth dates and places for the marriage partners • Occupation • Parents’ names and residence or place of birth • Sometimes the parents’ civil status • Names of the witnesses

Key genealogical information found in death records: • Date and place of the death • Name and age of the deceased or date and place of birth • Cause of death (illness, accident, senility, and so on) • Residence of the deceased • If the person left a testament, the record will list the children’s names, the civil status of the deceased (single, divorced, widowed), the name and birthplace of the spouse, and sometimes the parents’ names and where they are from.

Key genealogical information found in confirmation records: • Date and place of the confirmation • Name of the person • Names of the parents or godparents

Collection Description
Usually separate registers were maintained for baptisms, marriages, and deaths. However, in localities with a small population, the entries for these events may have been recorded in the same register. Confirmations were usually recorded with the baptisms. The earlier records may have some words or entries written in Latin. In general, the records were created in chronological order.

Population Coverage
Catholic parish records cover 95 to 100 percent of a city’s population. This collection includes only the parish records that were centralized into the diocesan archive.

Collection Reliability
Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing Spanish genealogical research.