Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
México. Varios Tipos de Registros conservados en el Archivo Histórico del Estado de San Luis Potosí.

Record Description
This collection of miscellaneous records covers the years 1586-1970.

These are miscellaneous records kept at the Historical Archive of the State of San Luis Potosi (Archivo Histórico del Estado de San Luis Potosí). These records include notary records, military records, censuses, passports, birth records, marriage records, death records, and so on. Records are handwritten for the most part with the text in Spanish.

Records in this collection were created by authorized officials and kept for the most part at a local archive. In time, the information was passed to a major archive for preservation. The archive has approximately one hundred and sixty collections. Some of the most relevant are the following:


 * Mayor Municipality of Charcas (1657-1852), inheritance information, legacies, and various kinds of news from the Municipality of Charcas and the Altiplano.
 * Mayor Municipality of San Luis Potosí (1554-1841). Public notary protocols, trade news, government, etc.
 * Municipality of San Luis Potosí (1593-1992). Council minutes, and trade, finance, and war records.
 * State Cadastre (1886-1981). Legal estate and rural and urban architectural plans of the state.
 * Joint Land Commission (1916-1992). Extensions, allocations, deprivation and general investigation of parcel usufruct. (Usufruct is the legal right to use the fruits or profits of something belonging to someone else.)
 * Civil Registry (1860-1930). Guardianship proceedings, presentations, and records of births, marriages, and deaths.
 * Public Registry of Property and Commerce (1755-1976). Protocols and appendices of scribes and notary publics.
 * General Secretariat of Government (1825-1961). Meat supply, books of brotherhoods, land disputes, elections, and electoral rolls.
 * Supreme Court (1737-1970). Plenary, criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings.

Only some of the above sources may have been acquired for publishing in FamilySearch.

Each type of record was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs and that of a government entity.

Vital records are the most reliable records for family history research. However, other records may serve as secondary sources, especially when vital records are not available. It could also supplement other information that may help to identify an ancestor.

For a list of records by categories and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is found in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in these different types of records may include the following:


 * Name of the primary persons
 * Names of heirs, parents, spouse, children, or other relatives
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Places and dates the documents were written and recorded (which can be used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of property or land
 * Places of residence
 * Dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The name of the primary individual or individuals

Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct. When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. If you want to find more information about the family, these pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the state.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.

If you want to find other relatives in the records, try the following:


 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. 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 who may have been born, married, or died 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.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in the records is usually reliable but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as more recent records.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes created by local genealogical and historical societies.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites

 * Archivo Historico del Estado de San Luis Potosí

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Mexico Archives and Libraries
 * Mexico Census

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

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"México, San Luis Potosí, Miscellaneous Records, 1570-1842," images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org: accessed 14 June 2012), Documentos Judiciales 1841, vol 24 &gt; image 524 of 657; payment to Nicolas Garica, dated 31 May 1842; citing Mexico. Various entities. Miscellaneous records. San Luis Potosi State Historical Archive, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

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