Mexico, Nuevo León, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records from the state of Nuevo Leon includes the years 1667 to 1981. Often in Catholic Church records, separate books were kept for baptisms, confirmations, marriage information documents, marriages, and deaths. However, in smaller areas, all records may be recorded on one register. In larger parishes a separate book was usually maintained for confirmations, while in smaller parishes the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms. In larger parishes, most of the marriage banns (informaciones matrimoniales) may be registered separately. In smaller parishes, these records were included in the marriage entry or the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms or even with marriages. In larger parishes, a separate book of confirmations was usually maintained. These records are in relatively fair condition, except for some older records that may be damaged and, therefore, hard to read or missing some information. Most of the older records are handwritten in narrative style and follow a common text with some variations depending on the style used by the priest. Newer records are handwritten in formatted registers; some are even written in ledger style registers.

For Help 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:

Baptism and/or Confirmation Records
 * Place and date of the baptism or confirmation
 * Given name
 * Gender, place, and date of birth or age at baptism
 * If legitimate or illegitimate
 * Parents' names, sometimes their residence and/or places of birth
 * Names of maternal and paternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage Records
 * Place and date of the marriage
 * Name of the groom
 * Age, place of birth, and/or residence of groom
 * Names of the groom’s parents
 * Name of the bride
 * Age, place of birth, and/or residence of bride
 * Names of the bride’s parents
 * Sometimes the parents' places of origin and/or civil status
 * Names of witnesses

Death Records
 * Place and date of the burial
 * Burial place
 * Name of the principal
 * Place and date of birth or age at time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Residence of the deceased
 * Place of death
 * Civil status of the principal
 * If married, may give name of the spouse
 * Whether principal left progeny

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select City or Town
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) 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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * 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
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in 1930, Mexico National Census. The census can help you find if your ancestors were married civilly or by the Catholic Church or both. Then you can proceed looking in those records for more information
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent
 * 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

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

 * Mexico, Nuevo León, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records) are also a good substitute when church records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Coahuila is to the west, Tamaulipas to the east, and San Luis Potosí to the southwest. Nuevo León shares about a 10 mile border with Texas on the north and about a 7 mile border with Zacatecas on the southwest
 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back to 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.  Watch for an asterisk for recently added or updated records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Mexico.
 * 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.