Spain, Diocese of Lugo, Catholic Parish Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica de la Diócesis de Lugo, España

Record Description
This collection includes digital copies of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials of the parishes of the Diocese of Lugo, Spain covering the years from 1550 to 1930. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection.

These records are in Spanish; see the section "For Help Reading These Records" for links to translation help guides.

Most of the parish records from the Diocese of Lugo have been preserved well, but some earlier entries may have some damage.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All of the original parish records were kept in the parish archive, however, the older records were centralized into the diocesan archive. Usually separate registers were maintained for baptisms, marriages, and deaths, however, in localities with a small population the records of baptisms, marriages, and burials were recorded in the same register.

Confirmations were usually recorded with the baptismal registers, but can also be found with deaths and/or marriages. Generally, entries were created in chronological order. Early registers may have some ecclesiastical wording written in Latin.

Catholic Church parish records cover about 95 to 100% of the population. However, this collection only includes the parish records that have been centralized through the years into the diocesan archive.

Record Content
The information in each record may vary by year.

Baptism records may include the following information:
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender
 * Date of birth or age at time of baptism
 * Legitimacy to parents (whether biological or adopted)
 * Parents names, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents and their place of residence
 * Names of maternal grandparents and their place of residence
 * Name of godparents
 * Name of witnesses

Marriage records usually include:
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of the bride and groom
 * Marital status, residence, and origin of bride and groom
 * Names of groom's parents, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of bride's parents, their residence, and place of origin
 * Names of witnesses

Death records usually include:
 * Date and place of death
 * Name and age of deceased (keep in mind that the records of women may be filed under their married name)
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Residence and/or place of origin
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of burial
 * Sometimes, deceased may have left a testament
 * Sometimes, entries give the names of children

How to Use the Record
Some record sets have indexes; these indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors, altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors (if the information was scanned) 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 quick and helpful way to find the actual record.

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 the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Province" category ⇒Select the "City or Town" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. 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 or Latin. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information

 * 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 to find each of the couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate civil records Spain Civil Registration - Vital 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.

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?
Maybe your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search immigration/emigration records. Spain Emigration and Immigration

Civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death records) are also a good substitute for when a church record cannot be found. Spain Civil Registration - Vital Records

Related Web Sites

 * Diocese of Lugo, Spain Website is in Spanish.
 * Sorted By Name.com Website is in English.
 * Spanish Genealogy
 * Hispanic Genealogy Blog is written in English.
 * Blog de Genealogía Hispaña Blog is written in Spanish.
 * Genealogía Española-España GenWeb Website is in Spanish.
 * Guía de los Archivos de la Iglesia en España Website is in Spanish.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Spain Catholic Church Records
 * Spain Catholic Church Directories
 * Spain Websites
 * Spain

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

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