Spain, Province of Valencia, Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The “Diputación de Valencia” is an institution composed of senators and other politicians, and is at the service of the provincial municipalities. This collection includes several types of records, which are housed at the Diputación Provincial de Valencia Archive. The original records are kept at the Archivo de la Diputación Provincial de Valencia, in Valencia, Spain. These records are the property of the Diputación de Valencia, ADPV.

Most of the types of records in this collection were created to record the historical events in the life of the people. Events were recorded in registers, which were to be kept for the history of civilians and for civilians’ and governmental benefits.

This collection includes various types of records, such as military drafts, censuses, and other miscellaneous records for the years 1251-1950 from the Valencia province in Spain. Each is reliable depending on the reliability of the person supplying the information and the person creating the record.

These records are written in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

This collection is being published as images become available.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Military draft and enlistment
 * Name and age of soldier
 * Occupation
 * Date and place of birth
 * Literacy
 * Parents’ names

Census
 * Name of head of the household
 * Names of every person living in the house
 * Relationship to the head of the household of every person in the household
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Nationality or place of origin
 * Parents
 * Parish of baptism
 * Municipality
 * Event year

How Do I Search This Collection?
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.

See the sections below for tips and uses for searching and finding the record of your ancestor in this collection and using the information in the record.

If you are unable to find a record for your ancestor in this collection, see the corresponding section below.

The different types of records in this collection have different uses, but most can be used to search for information of ancestors that lived in the Valencia Province. Almost always, for any type of record, it is necessary to know the ancestor's complete name, and/or at least the surname, and some dates in the events of the life of your ancestor.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select City or Municipality
 * 3) Select Parish
 * 4) Select Record Type and Years 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?

 * 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 residence and names of the parents to locate church records Spain Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical 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 province. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other provinces
 * 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 (whether a divorce or death dissolved a marriage) to identify previous marriages
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant (the person who reported the death)
 * 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
 * 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

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

 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring province
 * Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * Spain Baptisms
 * Spain Catholic Church Records
 * Or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records
 * Spain Emigration and Immigration

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Spain.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.
 * Collection Citation: "España, Provincia de Valencia, registros varios, 1251-1950." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Archivo de la Diputación de Valencia (General Photographic Archives, Valencia).